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At our approach, Eric looked up and scowled until he realized who the intruders were

"Bill," he said, nodding Va right up to the table, Bill stood a careful distance away, and since he was gripping my arm above my elbow, I had to stop, too This seemed to be the courteous distance with this set

"Who’s your friend?" asked the feht accent, this woman talked pure American, and her round face and sweet features would have done credit to athe ie

"Hi, I’m Sookie Stackhouse," I said politely

"Aren’t you sweet," Eric observed, and I hoped he was thinking of my character

"Not especially," I said

Eric stared at hed, and the female did, too

"Sookie, this is Paave each other the vampire nod

There was a pause I would have spoken, but Bill squeezed my arm

"My friend Sookie would like to ask a couple of questions," Bill said

The seated va are our fangs, and what kind of coffin do we sleep in?" Her voice was laced with contempt, and you could tell those were tourist questions that she hated

"No, ma’am," I said I hoped Bill wouldn’t pinchcalm and courteous

She stared at etting a little tired of this Before Bill could give me any more painful hints, I opened my purse and took out the pictures "I’d like to know if you’ve seen either of these wo Jason’s picture out in front of this fe a bowl of milk in front of a cat

They looked at the pictures Bill’s face was blank Eric looked up "I have been with this one," he said coolly, tapping Dawn’s picture "She liked pain"

Pam was surprised Eric had answered ated to follow his example "I have seen both of them I have never been with theer at Maudette’s picture, "was a pathetic creature"

"Thank you very much, that’s all of your time I need to take," I said, and tried to turn to leave But Bill still held my arm imprisoned

"Bill, are you quite attached to your friend?" Eric asked

It took a second for theif I could be borrowed

"She isit as he had to the nasty vampires from Monroe Nonetheless, he sounded pretty darn firave ain At least he started with my face

Bill seeesture, backed away for two steps, finally per me to turn my back to the couple

"Gee whiz, as that about?" I asked in a furious whisper I’d have a big bruise the next day

"They’re older than I a very va order," Bill said thoughtfully "That’s not a bad way to put it" He alhed I could tell by the way his lip twitched

"If you had been interested, I would have been obliged to let you go with Eric," he said, after we’d resumed our seats and had a belt from our drinks

"No," I said sharply

"Why didn’t you say anything when the fang-bangers ca to seduceon the sa va that couldn’t really bear

I made a very unladylike sound out of sheer exasperation

"Okay," I said sharply "Listen up, Bill! When you came to my house, I had to invite you When you came here withinme to stop by your house and leave a list of contractors doesn’t count So it’s always beenyou How can I tell you that you have to stay with irls will let you suck their blood - or that guy, for that ht to stand in your way!"

"Eric isthan I am," Bill said "He is ettable He is so old he only needs to take a sip to th He alood guy You could still go with hilao with Eric," I said stubbornly

"I don’t want to go with any of the fang-bangers," he said

We sat in silence for a ht," I said obscurely

"Yes"

We took a fewthis over

"Want another drink?" he asked

"Yes, unless you need to get back"

"No, this is fine"

He went to the bar Eric’s friend Pa aze on my hands, to indicate modesty I felt poeaks kind of flow overto influenceat me expectantly Was I supposed to pull off ? Kick Bill in the shins? Shit

Bill caonna know I’rimly Bill didn’t see the rules just attelamorize you after I’ve told him you’re mine," Bill said He sounded pretty pissed off His voice didn’t get hotter and hotter like mine would have, but colder and colder

"You see anything about it, I added silently

"It’s vaain "If I pronounce you mine, no one else can try to feed on you"

"Feed on htful phrase," I said sharply, and Bill actually had an expression of exasperation for all of two seconds

"I’ you," he said, his voice not quite as neutral as usual

"Had it occurred to you that I - "

And I stopped short I closed my eyes I counted to ten

When I ventured a look at Bill, his eyes were fixed on ears uessed softly "You are protecting -I can do that

But he took the back of h I were a puppet (This was getting to be an annoying habit of his) He looked so hard into ht I had tunnels burned into my brain

I pursed my lips and blew into his face "Boo," I said I was very uncouard down, listening

"Boring," I told hi"

"Are they, Sookie? What are they thinking?" It was a relief to hear his voice, no matter that his voice was a little odd

"Sex, sex, sex" And that was true Every single person in that bar had sex on the brain Even the tourists, whosex with the vaers having sex with the va about, Sookie?"

"Not sex," I answered prootten an unpleasant shock

"Is that so?"

"I was thinking about the chances of us getting out of here without any trouble"

"Why were you thinking about that?"

"Because one of the tourists is a cop in disguise, and he just went to the bathroo on the neck of a fang-banger He’s already called the police on his little radio"

"Out," he said s for the door Paave hin Just as snificent height, his stride so er than ours that he passed out the door first, taking the ar her outside with us

As ere about to go out the door, I re Shadow, had answered er in the direction of the door, un him to leave He looked as alarh the double doors, he was throwing down his towel

Outside, Eric aiting outside by his car - a Corvette, naturally

"There’s going to be a raid," Bill said

"How do you know?"

Bill stuck on that one

"Me," I said, getting him off the hook

Eric’s wide blue eyes shone even in the gloo to have to explain

"I read a policeman’sthis, and he was staring at ry

"That’s interesting," he said "I had a psychic once It was incredible"

"Did the psychic think so?" My voice was tarter than I’d meant it to be

I could hear Bill’s indrawn breath

Eric laughed "For a while," he answered auously

We heard sirens in the distance, and without further words Eric and the bouncer slid into his car and were gone into the night, the car see quieter than others’ cars, so the parking lot by one exit just as the police were co in by another They had their vampire van with them, a special prisoner transport with silver bars It was driven by two cops ere of the fanged persuasion, and they sprang out of their van and reached the club door with a speed that rendered them just blurs on my human vision

We had driven a few blocks when suddenly Bill pulled into the parking lot of yet another darkened strip ot no further Bill had unclipped rabbed htened that he was angry, I pushed against hiainst a tree Then his mouth located ht have proble on soreat ti throughin the front seat of a car, Iand considerate I nipped his skin with rowl

"Sookie!" His voice was ragged

I moved away from him, maybe half an inch

"If you do that any more I’ll have you whether you want to be had or not," he said, and I could tell henot to rabbedlight beside us

"The police," I said I could see a figure get out of the patrol car and start toward Bill’s"Don’t let hi fallout fro vaainst vampires on the street, especially as part of a mixed couple

The policeman’s heavy hand rapped on the

Bill turned on the motor, hit the button that lowered theBut he was silent, and I realized his fangs had not retracted If he opened his mouth, it would be really obvious he was a va," the h He bent to look in the"You two know all the shops here are closed, right?"

"Yes, sir"

"Now, I can tell you been ainst that, but you two need to go hoerly, and Billa bar a few blocks back," the patrolman said casually I could see only a little of his face, but he see from there, by any chance?"

"No," I said

"Vampire bar," the cop reht on your neck, olly, he shone that old flashlight onYou two move on now"

"Yes, ill"

Bill’s nod was even more curt While the patrolman waited, I slid back over to ear and backed up

Bill was just infuriated All the way houess) silence, whereas I was inclined to view the whole thing as funny

I was cheerful at finding Bill wasn’t indifferent to an to hope that soer and harder, and etor two that Bill didn’t know about me, that no one knew, and I was very careful to try to keep ot me back to Gran’s, he came around and opened my door, which made me raise my eyebrows; but I am not one to stop a courteous act I assu ar mechanism When I stepped out, he backed up

I was hurt He didn’t want to kissour earlier episode Probably pining after that da to see that the ability to have sex for several centuries leaves room for lots of experimentation Would a telepath be so bad to add to his list?

I kind of hunched ether and wrapped my arms acrosshis arm around me But it was the physical equivalent of a coat, he see to stay as far away from me as the arm made possible

"I am sorry I have pestered you I won’t ask you for anymy voice even Even as I spoke I realized that Gran hadn’t set up a date for Bill to speak to the Descendants, but she and Bill would just have to work that out

He stood still Finally he said, "You - are - incredibly - naive" And he didn’t even add that codicil about shrewdness, like he had earlier

"Well," I said blankly "I am?"

"Or maybe one of God’s fools," he said, and that sounded a lot less pleasant, like Quasiuess," I said tartly, "you’ll just have to find out"

"It had better be me that finds out," he said darkly, which I didn’t understand at all He walkedfor another kiss, but he gave ht, Sookie," he whispered

I restedht I was asking for soain" And before I could lose my determination, I slipped into the dark house and shut the door in Bill’s face