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HALF THE PATRONS of Merlotte’s thought Bill had had a hand in the ht that soer towns or cities had bitten Maudette and Dahen they were out barhopping, and they deserved what they got if they wanted to go to bed with valed by a vaht they had just continued their promiscuous ways into disaster

But everyone who came into Merlotte’s orried that some other woman would be killed, too I couldn’t count the times I was told to be careful, told to watch my friend Bill Compton, told to lock my doors and not let anyone in s I wouldn’t do, normally

Jason came in for both commiseration and suspicion as a man who’d "dated" both women He came by the house one day and held forth for a whole hour, while Gran and I tried to encourage hi with his work like an innocent man would But for the first time in my memory, lad he was in trouble, but I wasn’t exactly sorry, either I know that was small and petty of me

I am not perfect

I am so not-perfect that despite the deaths of to what Billhim proud I had no idea what constituted appropriate dress for visiting a vampire bar I wasn’t about to dress in some kind of stupid costume, as I’d heard some bar visitors did

I sure didn’t know anyone to ask

I wasn’t tall enough or bony enough to dress in the sort of spandex outfit the vampire Diane had worn

Finally I pulled a dress from the back of my closet, one I’d had little occasion to wear It was a Nice Date dress, if you wanted the personal interest of whoever was your escort It was cut square and low in the neck and it was sleeveless It was tight and white The fabric was thinly scattered with bright red floith long green stelowed and h-heeled screw-ht makeup and wore my wavy hair loose down my back

Gran’s eyes opened hen I came out of my room

"Honey, you look beautiful," she said "Aren’t you going to be a little cold in that dress?"

I grinned "No, ma’am, I don’t think so It’s pretty warm outside"

"Wouldn’t you like to wear a nice white sweater over that?"

"No, I don’t think so" I laughed I had pushed the other va sexy was okay again I was pretty excited about having a date, though I had kind of asked Billet, so I could just enjoy myself

Sam called me to tell me my paycheck was ready He asked if I’d cooing to work the next day

I drove to Merlotte’s feeling a little anxious at walking in dressed up

But when I caot the tribute of a moment of stunned silence Sah the hatch and Rene and JB were at the bar Unfortunately, so was my brother, Jason, whose eyes opened hen he turned to see what Rene was staring at

"You lookin’ good, girl!" called Lafayette enthusiastically "Where you get that dress?"

"Oh, I’ve had this old thing forever," I said hed

Saot wide, too

"God alhty," he breathed I walked over to ask forvery self-conscious

"Come in the office, Sookie," he said, and I followed hiaveon h the piles of paper on top of his desk, and finally cah

"Are you going soly

"I have a date," I said, trying to sound reat," Sam said, and I saw him s His eyes were hot

"Thank you Um, Sam, can I have my check?"

"Sure" He handed it to me, and I popped it in my purse

"Good-bye, then"

"Good-bye" But instead of indicating I should leave, Sam stepped over and smelled me He put his face close to my neck and inhaled His brilliant blue eyes closed briefly, as if to evaluate ently, his breath hot on my bare skin

I stepped out of the door and left the bar, puzzled and interested in Sae car was parked in front of the house It was a black Cadillac, and it shone like glass Bill’s Where did they get themy head, I went up the steps to the porch and walked in Bill turned to the door expectantly; he was sitting on the couch talking to Gran, as perched on one arm of an old overstuffed chair

When he saw ry His face went quite still His eyes flared His fingers curved as if he were scooping soht?" I asked anxiously I felt the blood surge up into my cheeks

"Yes," he said finally But his pause had been long enough to anger ot to adirls around," she said, her voice friendly on the surface but steel underneath

"Oh, yes," he agreed, but there was a curious lack of inflection in his voice

Well, screw him I’d tried o, then?"

"Yes," he said again, and stood "Good-bye, Mrs Stackhouse It was a pleasure seeing you again"

"Well, you two have a good time," she said, mollified "Drive careful, Bill, and don’t drink too much"

He raised an eyebrow "No, ht on past

Bill held ot in, a carefully calculated series of maneuvers to keep as ot in on the driver’s side I wondered who had taught him to drive a car Henry Ford, probably

"I’ht ahead of h the woods The car lurched to a halt

"Who said that?" Bill asked, his voice very gentle

"You looked at ," I snapped

"I’et you in and out without having to kill so sarcastic" I still wouldn’t look

His hand gripped the back of my neck, forced me to turn to him

"Do I look like I a

"Ahno," I admitted

"Then accept what I say"

The ride to Shreveport was mostly silent, but not uncomfortably so Bill played tapes tasia, the va area of Shreveport, close to a Sa strip, which was all closed down at this hour except for the bar The name of the place was spelled out in jazzy red neon above the door, and the facade was painted steel gray, a red door providing color contrast Whoever owned the place ray was less obvious than black because the interior was decorated in the same colors

I was carded at the door by a vanized Bill as one of her own kind and acknowledged him with a cool nod, but she scanned me intently Chalky pale, as all Caucasian va black dress with its trailing sleeves I wondered if the overdone "vampire" look was her own inclination, or if she’d just adopted it because the huht it appropriate

"I haven’t been carded in years," I said, fishing inin a little boxy entrance hall

"I can no longer tell hues, and we must be very careful we serve no minors In any capacity," she said as probably enial s up and down him with an offensive interest Offensive to me, at least

"I haven’t seen you in a few months," she said to him, her voice as cool and sweet as his could be

"I’," he explained, and she nodded

"WHAT WERE YOU telling her?" I whispered as alked down the short hall and through the red double doors into thehuot tasia’s interior Everything was in gray, black, and red The walls were lined with fras on the silver screen, froe Ha was di unusual about that; as unusual was the clientele And the posted signs

The bar was full The huroupies and tourists The groupies (fang-bangers, they were called) were dressed in their best finery It ranged from the traditional capes and tuxes for thethe feed from reproductions of those worn by Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in Intervieith the Vaht were influenced by The Hunger Sos, some had painted trickles of blood from the corners of their mouths or puncture marks on their necks They were extraordinary, and extraordinarily pathetic

The tourists looked like tourists anywhere, maybe more adventurous than most But to enter into the spirit of the bar, they were nearly all dressed in black like the fang-bangers Maybe it was part of a tour package? "Bring so visit to a real va a gli this human assortment, like real jewels in a bin of rhinestones, were the vampires, perhaps fifteen of them They mostly favored dark clothes, too

I stood in thearound me with interest and amazement and some distaste, and Bill whispered, "You look like a white candle in a coal h the scattered tables to the bar It was the only bar I’d ever seen that had a case of warmed bottled blood on display Bill, naturally, ordered one, and I took a deep breath and ordered a gin and tonic The bartender ss had shot out a little at the pleasure of serving me I tried to smile back and lookcoal black straight hair and a craggy nose, a straight line of a , Bill?" the bartender asked "Long tiht?" He nodded toward me as he put our drinks on the bar before us

"This is , beautiful woain I liked hiht line

"Have you seen this wo the newspaper photos of Maudette and Dawn fro, I pulled out my brother’s picture

"Yes to the woh he looks delicious," said the bartender, sain "Your brother, perhaps?"

"Yes"

"What possibilities," he whispered

It was lucky I’d had extensive practice in face control "Do you re around with?"

"That’s so I wouldn’t know," he replied quickly, his face closing down "That’s so we don’t notice, here You won’t, either"

"Thank you," I said politely, realizing I’d broken a bar rule It was dangerous to ask who left ho the tily "That one," he said, poking a finger at Dawn’s picture, "she wanted to die"

"How do you know?"

"Everyone who comes here does, to one extent or another," he said so ranted "That is e are Death"

I shuddered Bill’s hand onthe Indian’s pronounceular intervals wall placards proclai lot" "Conduct your personal business elsewhere" "Your patronage is appreciated Proceed at your own risk"

Bill took the top off the bottle with one finger and took a sip I tried not to look, failed Of course he saw my face, and he shook his head

"This is the reality, Sookie," he said "I need it to live"

There were red stains between his teeth

"Of course," I said, trying to match the matter-of-fact tone of the bartender I took a deep breath "Do you suppose I want to die, since I came here with you?"

"I think you want to find out why other people are dying," he said But I wasn’t sure that hat he really believed

I didn’t think Bill had yet realized that his personal position was precarious I sipped h er approached the booth I was half-hidden by Bill, but still, they’d all seen lasses that she stuffed in a purse as she walked over She bent across the table to get her erous," she said in what she hoped was a seductive voice She tapped Bill’s bottled blood with a fingernail painted scarlet "I have the real stuff" She stroked her neck to ot the point

I took a deep breath to control my temper I had invited Bill to this place; he hadn’t invited h I had a surprisingly vivida slap mark on this hussy’s pale, freckled cheek I held absolutely still so I wouldn’t give Bill any cues about what I wanted

"I have a coently

"She doesn’t have any punctureht as well have said "Chicken!" and flapped her ar out of ain, his voice not so gentle this ti," she said, her big pale eyes flashing with offense

"Yes, I do," he said

She recoiled as if I’d actually done the slapping, and stoust, she was only the first of four These people, men and women, wanted to be intimate with a vampire, and they weren’t shy about it

Bill handled all of the," he said, after aup at Bill’s rejection

"There’s nothing for reat self-control

"You could have sent them on their way Do you want me to leave you? Is there so Shadow, there at the bar, would love to spend time with you, I can tell"

"Oh, for God’s sake, no!" I wouldn’t have felt safe with any of the other vampires in the bar, would have been terrified they were like Liam or Diane Bill had turned his dark eyes toelse "I do have to ask theh"

"Do you want htened than I’d wanted to I’d meant to ask like it would be a casual pleasure to have his company

"The vampire over there is handsome; he has scanned you twice," he said I al hi me," I said uncertainly after a moment

The vampire he’d indicated was handsome, in fact, radiant; blond and blue-eyed, tall and broad shouldered He earing boots, jeans, and a vest Period Kind of like the guys on the cover of romance books He scared me to death

"His name is Eric," said Bill

"How old is he?"

"Very He’s the oldest thing in this bar"

"Is he mean?"

"We’re alland very violent"

"Not you," I said I saw his face close in on itself "You want to live onna do antisocial stuff"

"Just when I think you’re too naive to walk around alone, you say soht, we’ll go talk to Eric"

Eric, who, it was true, had glancedwith a female vampire as just as lovely as he They’d already repelled several advances by hu man had already crawled across the floor and kissed the female’s boot She’d stared down at him and kicked him in the shoulder You could tell it had been an effort for her not to kick hiot up and left hurriedly, but the fang-bangers seeranted