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Chapter 1

It was hot as the six shades of Hell even this late in the evening, and I’d had a busy day at work The last thing I wanted to do was to sit in a crowded bar to watch ans, we’d planned this excursion for days, and the bar was full of hooting and hollering wonant friend Tara sat to ht, and Holly, orked at Sam Merlotte’s bar like me and Kennedy Keyes, sat on irlfriend, sat on the other side of the table

"The Sook-ee," Kennedy called, and grinned at me Kennedy had been first runner-up to Miss Louisiana a few years ago, and despite her stint in prison she’d retained her spectacular looks and groo bus

"I’lad you decided to come, Kennedy," I said "Danny doesn’tthe very afternoon before I’d been sure she’d stay at houys naked, don’t you?" Kennedy said

I glanced around at the other wouys naked, on a regular basis," I said Though I hadn’t been trying to be funny, iddy

I’d only spoken the truth: I’d been dating Eric Northotten pretty intense; Michele and Jason were practically living together; Tara was ed to Hoyt Fortenberry, who barely stopped in at his own apartotta at least be curious," Michele said, raising her voice to be heard over the claet to see Claude around the house all the time With his clothes on, but still "

"Yeah, when’s his place gonna be ready for hi can it take to put in new plu was in fine shape as far as I knew The plu, "My cousin’s a fairy, and he needs the company of other fairies, since he’s in exile Also, reat-uncle Der for the heck of it" The fae, unlike the vampires and the olves, wanted to keep their existence a deep secret

Also, Michele’s assumption that I’d never seen Claude naked was incorrect Though the spectacularly handsome Claude was my cousin-and I certainly kept my clothes on around the house-the fairy attitude about nudity was totally casual Claude, with his long black hair, brooding face, and rippling abs, was absolutelyuntil he opened his mouth Dermot lived with me, too, but Dermot was more modest in his habits maybe because I’d told him how I felt about bare-assed relatives

I liked Ders about Claude None of those feelings were sexual I’d very recently and reluctantly allowed hiu him and Dermot around the house They’ve helped me out a lot," I said weakly

"What about Dermot? Does Dererial stuff here Hi would be weird for you, huh, Michele?" I said Derht with Michele for a long ti time in Jason terms

"Yeah, I couldn’t watch that," she said "Except hed

While they continued to talk about ans when it was this busy, and I’d never been to a Ladies Only night There was a lot to think about-the staff, for exa woers She’d flashed , but lance After we’d passed through the inner door, ere ushered to our seats by an elf na me the head of my ene different about Bellenos, either-but he didn’t look like a regular man to me His head of auburn hair was s and dark, his freckles were larger than hu teeth gleahts When I’d first met Bellenos, he’d been unable to mask himself as human Now he could

"Enjoy, ladies," Bellenos had told us in his deep voice "We’ve had this table reserved for you" He’d given o back to the entrance

We were seated right by the stage A hand-lettered sign in the middle of the tablecloth read, "Bon Teet to thank Claude real personally," Kennedy said, with a sultry leer She was definitely fighting with Danny; I could tell Michele giggled and poked Tara’s shoulder

Finally, knowing Claude was a perk

"That redhead who showed us to the table thought you were cute, Sookie," Tara said uneasily I could tell she was thinking of my full-tiured he wouldn’t be too happy about a stranger oglingpolite because I’ at you like you were chocolate-chip-cookie-dough ice cream," she said "He wanted to eat you up"

I was pretty sure she was right, but maybe not in the sense she meant; not that I could read Bellenos’s mind, any more than that of any other supernatural creature but elves are what you’d call unrestricted in their diet I hoped Claude was keeping a close watch on the ans

Meanwhile, Tara was conancy, and Kennedy said, "Have a conditioning session at Death by Fashion in Shreveport Immanuel’s the best"

"He cut my hair once," I said, and they all looked at ed?"

"When the bar was bombed," Kennedy said "That was Immanuel? Wow, Sookie, I didn’t know you knew hihlights, but he left town The shop’s still open" I shrugged