Once again, I awoke to Eric nuzzling me, although he was more than ready for something more. An hour later, my phone started ringing and so did his.

"Well, there goes my afterglow." Eric winked and reached for both. He handed me mine after looking at the caller ID.

I frowned at him as I took it. He plastered his most innocent look on his face and shrugged as he answered his.

"Yes, your highness?" He nodded to me as I flipped mine open.

It was Niall. I answered and asked how he was, but he launched straight into what he wanted: did I learn anything new.

"Not yet, Niall." That got Eric's notice. He switched to his old language as I continued to explain I'd just woken up for the evening, but I would call Bill in just a few minutes. He said OK and got off the phone.

I headed for the shower and left Eric to talk. I watched him as I picked out a dress. He became more irritated and yelled something into the phone. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose, said something and threw the phone on the bed.

"Let's shower, lover. We have only an hour before we have to leave." He passed me and started the shower.

"Leave for what?"

"Your appointment with the witch." He stepped in and held the door open for me.

"What if that's not what I want?" I stepped in and shut it behind me.

His look urged me to go on.

"Look, I love you. I don't want to hurt you by breaking it." I wrapped my arms around him.

He folded me into his embrace as the water ran down our bodies. "Break it, and when the time is right, we will renew it our way. It will break every blood bond you have, not just mine and Viviane's."

I leaned back. "Bill's."

He smiled. "Then you will really be all mine." He kissed me and dipped my hair into the shower head. "Let's see how fast I can wash your hair." He laughed and had it shampooed and conditioned in record time.

"I would save so much time if I had you around more often."

He tensed and returned to washing his at super speed.

My house. I remembered every offer he'd given me to live with him. I'd started staying over more often, but he wanted me there full time. And I'd rejected it. But I loved my house and the memories of my gran. I couldn't imagine feeling as much at home anywhere but there.

We got out and dressed before I called Bill, who agreed to come to our suite with his laptop. While he was on the way, I explained why I needed Bill's help.

"Viviane told me she offered Niall assistance and implied I would offer someone from my area to help." He frowned. "I suppose Thalia needs a project."

A few minutes later, Bill was set up at the dining table while I ate a sandwich and fruit and Eric paced.

"So Sookie, who is it you are looking for?"

I explained about my missing relations. "Erin Gant's maker was Godfrey, who met the sun in Dallas. I need to find out whether he turned anyone else. A sibling is the only shot we have at tracking her."

He nodded and started typing. Then he smiled. "Got one."

Eric zoomed around behind him and burst into laughter. "This. Is. Amazing."

"What?" I left my food and walked around to see why Eric couldn't stop laughing.

The screen bore the image of an incredibly handsome vampire with dark hair, chiseled jaw and green eyes.

"Who is Richard Grant?" I grabbed my tea and sipped it while I waited.

Eric smiled like an evil plan formed in his mind. "Viviane's distraction."

I motioned for him to go on.

"They are star-crossed lovers, tempestuous, volatile, passionate, and she can't resist him. She swore him off just before I turned Pam, and as far as I know, she hasn't seen him since. She came straight to the States and he ruled England for much of that time." He smiled. "This is going to be fun. I will call him myself."

Bill spoke up. "Sookie, in England, monarchs rule for two-century terms. Much of Europe operates in a similar fashion. The council approves or denies bids to lead. It's quite democratic, really. There are bloody takeovers on occasion, but it is much different." He pointed to the screen. "He left in the early 1960s and served the Ancient Pythoness for 50 years. It seems he is still with her."

Eric nodded. "He was with her in Rhodes." He looked down at me. "They departed after the trials before the bombing."

I nodded. "So this Richard guy is something like sexual kryptonite for Viviane?"

Eric laughed. "Something like that." He started scrolling through his phone.

Bill turned the computer so I could look at the information about him. He was a Scottish highlander turned in the 1300s. He'd spent lots of time in various courts, but Viviane's name did pop up once as a liaison in the 1500s. It listed key battles he was involved in, including the Vampire-Fae War and a couple of human wars. Other pictures showed him in various times. He was tall, seemingly Eric tall, but maybe even more broad shouldered. He towered over everyone else in photos.

"All right, Bill. We're done." Eric opened the suite door. "We are leaving."

Bill gathered his computer and scuttled out.

Eric continued to stand at the door. "Ready?"

I looked at my half-eaten sandwich. "I guess." I went to get my purse and shoes and met him at the door.

As we walked down the hall, I started in with my questions. "So what else do you know about Rich-"

He put a finger over my lips. "Don't talk about this right now. Wait until the car."

I frowned. He pointed down the hall to her suite. So he didn't want her to know he was calling Richard. Interesting. So I asked him if he knew how to get where we were going. He said he did. I asked about the bar. He said Thalia and Maxwell had everything under control. He was not talkative.

Pam got on the elevator on the 11th floor.

"Hey breather."

"Hey Pam. What are you up to?"

"Oh, video planning and whatnot. We're shooting it at 3." She dug through the bags she had over her arm and pulled out a very tiny outfit. "This is my costume."

I know my eyes bugged. "What kind of video is it?"

"It's a surprise. You are coming to help me, right?"

"Um, I'm not sure what the plans are for tonight." I looked at Eric.

"I will have things to arrange for those looking for your cousins." He shrugged. "And I will likely have a meeting with the queen's sheriffs. She said the rest were arriving tonight."

"See, Sookie? He's too busy for you. Come with me. You know it will be fun." Pam wrapped her arm through my elbow.

"OK. I will. What time does it all start?"

"Just text me when you are done with whatever you're going to now and we'll get you there." The elevator stopped on the third floor. "That's me. See ya, breather." She swept out and we were alone again.

Eric frowned. She hadn't looked at him once.

I took his hand. "She'll come around. She loves you despite what y'all say about vampires and love."

He finally smiled at me as the doors opened and he walked me to the valet stand. A bright red sports car waited for us. Eric smiled and caressed the hood as he opened my door. I laughed as I buckled up.

"Did you pick this?" I watched him fold down inside.

"No. For all her irritating moments, Viv knows me well." The car roared to life and he tore out and down the Strip.

"Now can I ask about Richard?"

He laughed. "Yes. But first, this." He reached into his leather coat and pulled out something wrapped in a paper towel.

I took it and unwrapped it. It was my unfinished sandwich. I smiled up at him. "Thanks, Eric. So about Richard ..."

"He was once her human."

"What?" I stopped midbite.

"I don't know the circumstances of his turning, but finding out Godfrey is his maker makes sense. Viv traveled with him once but refused to speak to him later. She threw an absolute fit when Stan allowed him to live in Dallas. I suspect Richard is the reason why." He laughed. "In fact, she said good riddance when she found out about his final death."

"She did say Godfrey owed her. That's how she got him to turn Erin. Maybe it was over this guy if she liked him so much."

He pursed his lips. "Valid reasoning, lover. It is a very interesting dynamic between them. They have repeated passionate love affairs, but it always ends in terrible and memorable ways. How she's slapped as many kings as she has is a wonder. She swore him off a month before our last major fight and I turned Pam." He turned off into subdivisions. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before this became an issue. It's the longest time apart they've ever managed."

"How do you know?"

"She told me when I teased her in Shreveport. I have very few things I can get her on, but Richard is by far the best." He smiled. "I cannot wait to call him." He glanced at me at the stoplight. "Have you made your choice about the bond?"

I frowned. "No."

"I have outlined my reasons for wanting you to sever it."

"I know. I guess I should do it." I turned in my seat to him. "When we get home, I want to work on us living together more."

He smiled. "Does this mean you will quit your job for the shifter?"

"His name is Sam. And no."

He frowned.

"But I will start looking for other jobs closer to Shreveport." He started to talk, but I continued. "And you will stay out of it and let me do this on my own. I am not going to leave Sam high and dry."

He turned back to the road and continued driving. "I am pleased you are considering this."

"So I want to start fresh. I guess that starts with a fresh bond. So I'll do this and then we can try that for a few days and then start over."

"OK, this is it."

The address was in one of the endless cookie-cutter neighborhoods on this side of Las Vegas. Each street had looked the same as Eric drove past it.

We got out and Eric and I scanned the area with our unique abilities.

"Two humans."

Eric nodded and took my hand as we walked to the door. I knocked and tracked one mind as it approached the door.

It flew open and revealed a tall, thin woman with cocoa skin and a bald head. "You must be Sookie Stackhouse."

"Yes, ma'am." I glanced toward Eric.

She looked up at him. "The sheriff, I presume." He nodded. "Your child is a fiesty one, yeah?"
He looked a little surprised she knew. I caught the thought of her, Viviane and another witch performing a ritual. "Come on in." She stepped aside and allowed us to pass over the threshold.

The inside looked as normal as the outside. The only thing different was the art - it bore tribal symbols and shapes I'd seen in Amelia's books.

We followed the woman through out to the backyard. Back home, yards were filled with grass. Here, she had a tiny patch and the rest was sand and stones. A fountain trickled in the back corner.

A younger woman sprinkled herbs into jars at a table near a fire pit.

The first witch turned to me. "You understand what this does?"

"Basically. The bond breaks, no vampires feel me."

She shrugged. "You should know another blood exchange will return the bond to its full state."

Eric stepped toward her. "How do you know this?"

She smiled. "The queen pays me to learn these things. Pays me well."

"How long have you been on her payroll?" Eric vibrated with tension.

"I've worked with her for years. But she hired me full time the day the hotel in Rhodes exploded." The witch gestured toward where the other one formed a triangle with little glass jars. "Stand here."

Eric didn't let go of my hand. "What will happen? How does it work?"

She pointed to the jars and red cord. The explanation seemed too simple.

"So I just light the herbs, walk around it in a circle three times, whisper a few words and snip the cord?"

She nodded. I looked to Eric. He squeezed my hand.

"Do it."

"You're sure?"

"Sookie, you said you wanted to try this. Have you changed your mind?"

I shook my head. I felt conflicted about the whole thing, but like I told him, I wanted to erase any doubt I had. Maybe it would be the key for me to take other steps in my relationship with Eric.

I turned to the witch. "Let's do this."

"All right. Stand here. When I signal, drop the match into the jar and walk counterclockwise three times." She handed me a box of matches. They were printed with Malaga's logo. "Then you'll say these words." She told me the phrase as she handed me a piece of paper. "When you cut the cord, make sure you do it with much conviction."

I nodded. When she gave the signal, I lit my match, dropped it in to a jar and walked. She started the chant and we joined in. Then she handed the red string to the other witch, who handed it to me. I measured my bit out and passed it off. The witch handed me the scissors. I took them with a shaking hand. I glanced up at Eric's eyes and snipped the string with every ounce of conviction I had. I wanted all other vampires out of me so I could know what I felt once and for all.

He winced a small bit, but I felt nothing. I searched for my tie to Viviane. Nothing.

I handed the things in my hands off and trotted toward Eric. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He moved a hand to my back after a moment.

"How do you feel, lover?"

"Sort of empty. Alone." I leaned back and looked up. "Did you feel it?"

"The small thread I had to you is gone." He shifted. Then his face twisted with anger as he stepped toward the witch. "Did you do this ritual for Viviane?"

She nodded. "It was more specific and difficult."

"Eric, I told you she said she did." I did.

"I didn't believe she meant it. It wasn't obvious until now. I barely feel Pam."

"You're pissed." I didn't need a bond to figure that one out.

He nodded. "Let's go. I need to make that call." Eric stopped to capture the witch's gaze.

She laughed and shook her head. "No way. I'm warded, but I would never reveal this. Viviane is not someone to piss off. The last witch, well, let's say no one in the community will cross her."

I saw the image of human skin stretched on a wall minus everything that goes inside. It made me throw up a little in my mouth and pull on Eric's arm frantically. He took a hint and rushed me through the house and into the car. I was breathing heavy.

Once he pulled out, he asked what I saw. I told him.

"She didn't do it."

"The witch sure implied Viviane did." I shuddered remembering it.

"Darryl Twofeathers did it for her. He is a skilled taxidermist."

"Ew. That's just … ew." I looked up at Eric as he drove. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he is her child. Because the witch crossed her. Why do we exact any form of punishment or message?"

"Vampires are the freaking mob. And Viviane's Don Corleone." I sunk into my seat. "And she made me an offer I can't refuse. Ugh."

Eric laughed at me from the driver's seat. "My lawyer is looking over the contract. I faxed it this morning."

"Mr. Catalides?"

He shook his head. "The demon is in his own mess. I have another on retainer. She works out of the demon's Dallas office."

I nodded my head. "Eric, about Viviane, she … I think she's upset and feels alone. Like Pam is your favorite. Maybe that you won't care if you can't feel her. That you would be happy even."

Admittedly, I wasn't a huge fan of Viviane, but a maker-child relationship was complex and theirs was more so than most. As much as I hated the connection, I understood why he was upset, at least some. If for no other reason, it was a connection to know that she existed and one that he'd had much of his existence.

He grunted but said nothing. I'd said my piece, but it was up to them to fix their vampire shit.

We seemed to get back faster than to Malaga we gotten to the witch's home.

I took his hand. "I don't have to go with Pam."

"You should. When are there music videos filmed in Louisiana? I will spend my evening on the phone." He flipped his phone out as he passed the keys to the valet. "And according to this message, I will meet with the other sheriffs."

As I took Eric's arm, I saw someone I hadn't imagined I'd see again.