The minute the sun sank, Eric was out of the compartment below the guest-bedroom closet. He picked me up and kissed me thoroughly. I'd already warmed up some TrueBlood for him, and he made a face but gulped it down.

"Who is the child?" he asked.

"Hadley's son," I said. Eric had met Hadley when she'd been going with Sophie-Anne Leclerq, the now-finally-deceased Queen of Louisiana.

"She was married to a breather?"

"Yes, before she met Sophie-Anne," I said. "A very nice guy named Remy Savoy."

"Is that him I smell? Along with a big scent of fairy?"

Uh-oh. "Yes, Remy came to pick up Hunter this afternoon. I was keeping him because Remy had to go to a family funeral. He didn't think that would be a good place to take a kid." I didn't bring up Hunter's little problem. The fewer who knew about it, the better, and that included Eric.

"And?"

"I meant to tell you this the other night," I said. "My cousin Claude?"

Eric nodded.

"He asked if he could stay here for a while, because he's lonely in his house with both his sisters dead."

"You are letting a man live with you." Eric didn't sound angry - more like he was poised to be angry, if you know what I mean? There was just a little edge in his voice.

"Believe me, he's not interested in me as a woman," I said, though I had a guilty flash of him walking in on me in the bathroom. "He is all about the guys."

"I know you are fully aware of how to take care of a fairy who gives you trouble," Eric said, after an appreciable silence.

I'd killed fairies before. I hadn't particularly wanted to be reminded of that. "Yes," I said. "And if it'll make you feel better, I'll keep a squirt gun loaded with lemon juice on my bedside table." Lemon juice and iron - the fairy weaknesses.

"That would make me feel better," Eric said. "Is it this Claude that Heidi scented on your land? I felt you were very worried, and that's one reason I came over last night."

The blood bond was hard at work. "She says neither of the fairies she tracked was Claude," I said, "and that really worries me. But - "

"It worries me, too." Eric looked down at the empty bottle of TrueBlood, then said, "Sookie, there are things you should know."

"Oh." I'd been about to tell him about the fresh corpse. I was sure he would have led off the discussion with the body if Heidi had mentioned it, and it seemed pretty important to me. I may have sounded a little peeved at being interrupted. Eric gave me a sharp look.

Okay, I was at fault, excuse me. I should have been longing to be chock-full of information that Eric felt would help me negotiate the minefield of vampire politics. And there were nights I'd have been delighted to learn more about my boyfriend's life. But tonight, after the unusual stresses and strains of Hunter care, what I'd wanted was (again, excuse me) to tell him about the body-in-the-woods crisis and then have a good long screw.

Normally, Eric would be down with that program.

But not tonight, apparently.

We sat opposite each other at the kitchen table. I tried not to sigh out loud.

"You remember the summit at Rhodes, and how a sort of strip of states from south to north were invited," Eric began.

I nodded. This didn't sound too promising. My corpse was way more urgent. Not to mention the sex.

"Once we had ventured from one side of the New World to another, and the white breathing population migrated across, too - we were the first explorers - a large group of us met to divide things up, for better governing of our own population."

"Were there any Native American vampires here when you came? Hey, were you on the Leif Ericson expedition?"

"No, not my generation. Oddly enough, there were very few Native American vampires. And the ones that were here were different in several ways."

Now, that was pretty interesting, but I could tell Eric wasn't going to stop and fill in the blanks.

"At that first national meeting, about three hundred years ago, there were many disagreements." Eric looked very, very serious.

"No, really?" Vampires arguing? I could yawn.

And he didn't appreciate my sarcasm, either. He raised blond eyebrows, as if to say, "Can I go on and get to the point? Or are you going to give me grief?"

I spread my hands: "Keep on going."

"Instead of dividing the country the way humans would, we included some of the north and some of the south in every division. We thought it would keep the cross-representation going. So the easternmost division, which is mostly the coastal states, is called Moshup Clan, for the Native American mythical figure, and its symbol is a whale."

Okay, maybe I looked a little glazed at that point. "Look it up on the Internet," Eric said impatiently. "Our clan - the states that met in Rhodes compose this one - is Amun, a god from the Egyptian system, and our symbol is a feather, because Amun wore a feathered headdress. Do you remember that we all wore little feather pins there?"

Ah. No. I shook my head.

"Well, it was a busy summit," Eric conceded.

What with the bombs, and the explosions, and all.

"To our west is Zeus, from the Roman system, and a thunderbolt is their symbol, of course."

Sure. I nodded in profound agreement. Eric may have sensed that I was not exactly on board, by then. He gave me a stern look. "Sookie, this is important. As my wife, you must know this."

I wasn't even going to get into that tonight. "Okay, go ahead," I said.

"The fourth clan, the West Coast division, is called Narayana, from early Hinduism, and its symbol is an eye, because Narayana created the sun and moon from his eyes."

I thought of things I'd like to ask, like "Who the hell sat around and picked the stupid names?" But when I ran my questions through my inner censor, each one sounded snarkier than the last. I said, "But there were some vampires at the summit in Rhodes - the Amun Clan summit - that should be in Zeus, right?"

"Yes, good! There are visitors at the summits, if they have some vested interest in a topic under discussion. Or if they are engaged in a lawsuit against someone in that division. Or if they're going to marry someone in the division whose time it is to have a summit." His eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile of approval. Narayana created the sun from his eyes, I thought. I smiled back.

"I understand," I said. "So, how come Felipe conquered Louisiana, since we're Amun and he's ... Ah, is Nevada in Narayana or Zeus?"

"Narayana. He took Louisiana because he wasn't as frightened of Sophie-Anne as everyone else. He planned, and executed quickly and with precision after the governing ... board ... of Narayana Clan approved his plan."

"He had to present a plan before he moved on us?"

"That's the way it's done. The kings and queens of Narayana wouldn't want their territory weakened if Felipe failed and Sophie-Anne managed to take Nevada. So he had to outline his plan."

"They didn't think we might want to say something about that plan?"

"Not their concern. If we're weak enough to be taken, then we are fair game. Sophie-Anne was a good leader, and much respected. With her incapacitation, Felipe judged we were weak enough to attack. Stan's lieutenant in Texas has struggled these past few months since Stan was injured in Rhodes, and it's been hard for him to hold on to Texas."

"How would they know how hurt Sophie-Anne was? How hurt Stan is?"

"Spies. We all spy on each other." Eric shrugged. (Big deal. Spies.)

"What if one of the rulers in Narayana had owed some favor to Sophie-Anne and decided to tip her off to the takeover?"

"I'm sure some of them considered it. But with Sophie-Anne so severely wounded, I suppose they decided that the odds lay with Felipe."

This was appalling. "How do you trust anyone?"

"I don't. There are two exceptions. You, and Pam."

"Oh," I said. I tried to imagine feeling like that. "That's awful, Eric."

I thought he'd shrug that off. But instead, he regarded me soberly. "Yes. It's not good."

"Do you know who the spies in Area Five are?"

"Felicia, of course. She is weak, and it's not much of a secret that she must be in the pay of someone; probably Stan in Texas, or Freyda in Oklahoma."

"I don't know Freyda." I'd met Stan. "Is Texas in Zeus or Amun?"

Eric beamed at me. I was his star pupil. "Zeus," he said. "But Stan had to be at the summit because he was proposing to go in with Mississippi on a resort development."

"He sure paid for that," I said. "If they have spies, we have spies, too, right?"

"Of course."

"Who? I'm not missing anyone?"

"You met Rasul in New Orleans, I believe."

I nodded. Rasul had been of Middle Eastern stock, and he'd had quite a sense of humor. "He survived the takeover."

"Yes, because he agreed to become a spy for Victor, and therefore for Felipe. They sent him to Michigan."

"Michigan?"

"There is a very large Arab enclave there, and Rasul fits in well. He tells them he fled the takeover." Eric paused. "You know, his life will be ended if you tell anyone this."

"Oh, duh. I'm not telling anyone any of this. For one thing, the fact that you-all named your little slices of America after gods is just ..." I shook my head. Really something. I wasn't sure what. Proud? Stupid? Bizarre? "For another thing, I like Rasul." And I thought it was pretty damn smart of him to take the chance to get out from under Victor's thumb, no matter what he'd agreed to do. "Why are you telling me all this, all of a sudden?"

"I think you need to know what's going on around you, my lover." Eric had never looked more serious. "Last night, while I was working, I found myself distracted by the idea that you might suffer for your ignorance. Pam agreed. She's wanted to give you the background of our hierarchy for some weeks. But I thought the knowledge would burden you, and you had enough problems to handle. Pam reminded me that ignorance could get you killed. I value you too much to let yours continue."

My initial thought was that I'd really enjoyed that ignorance, and it would have been okay with me if I'd retained it. Then I had to hop all over myself. Eric was really trying to include me in his life and its ins and outs. And he was trying to help me acclimatize to his world because he considered me a part of it. I tried to feel warm and fuzzy about that.

Finally, I said, "Thanks." I tried to think of intelligent questions to ask. "Um, okay. So the kings and queens of each state in a particular division get together to make decisions and bond - what, every two years?"

Eric was eyeing me cautiously. He could tell not all was well in Sookieville. "Yes," he said. "Unless there's some crisis that calls for an extra meeting. Each state is not a separate kingdom. For instance, there's a ruler of New York City and a ruler of the rest of the state. Florida is also divided."

"Why?" That took me aback. Until I considered. "Oh, lots of tourists. Easy prey. High vampire population."

Eric nodded. "California is in thirds - California Sacramento, California San Jose, and California Los Angeles. On the other hand, North and South Dakota have become one kingdom, since the population is so thin."

I was getting the hang of looking at things through vampire eyes. There'd be more lions where the gazelles crowded around the watering hole. Fewer prey animals, fewer predators. "How does the business of - well, of Amun, say - get conducted between those biennial meetings?" There had to be stuff that came up.

"Message boards, mostly. If we have to have a face-to-face, committees of sheriffs meet, depending on the situation. If I had an argument with the vampire of another sheriff, I'd call that sheriff, and if he wasn't ready to give me satisfaction, his lieutenant would meet with my lieutenant."

"And if that didn't work?"

"We'd kick the dispute up the ladder, to the summit. In between meeting years, there's an informal gathering, with no ceremony or celebration."

I could think of a lot of questions, but they were all of the "what if" variety, and there wasn't any immediate need for me to know the answers.

"Okeydokey," I said. "Well, that was real interesting."

"You don't sound interested. You sound irritated."

"This isn't what I expected when I found out you were sleeping in the house."

"What did you expect?"

"I expected you'd come over here because you couldn't wait an extra minute to have fabulous, mind-blowing sex with me." And to hell with the corpse, for the moment.

"I've told you things for your own good," Eric said soberly. "However, now that that's done, I am as ready as ever to have sex with you, and I can certainly make it mind-blowing."

"Then cut to the chase, honey."

With a movement too fast for me to follow, Eric's shirt was off, and while I was admiring the view, his other clothes followed.

"Do I actually get to chase you?" he asked, his fangs already out.

I made it halfway to the living room before he caught me. But he carried me back to the bedroom.

It was great. Even though I had a niggling anxiety gnawing at me, that gnawing was successfully stifled for a very satisfying forty-five minutes.

Eric liked to lie propped on his elbow, his other hand stroking my stomach. When I protested that since my stomach wasn't completely flat, this made me feel fat, he laughed heartily. "Who wants a bag of bones?" he said, with absolute sincerity. "I don't want to hurt myself on the sharp edges of the woman I'm bedding."

That made me feel better than anything he'd said to me in a long time. "Did women ... Were women curvier when you were human?" I asked.

"We didn't always have choices about how fat we were," Eric said dryly. "In bad years, we were all skin and bones. In good years, when we could eat, we did."

I felt abashed. "Oh, sorry."

"This is a wonderful century to live in," Eric said. "You can have food anytime you want."

"If you have the money to pay for it."

"Oh, you can steal it," he said. "The point is, the food is here to be had."

"Not in Africa."

"I know people still starve in many parts of the world. But sooner or later, this prosperity will extend everywhere. It just got here first."

I found his optimism amazing. "You really think so?"

"Yes," he said simply. "Braid my hair for me, would you, Sookie?"

I got my hairbrush and an elastic band. Color me silly, but I really enjoyed doing this. Eric sat on the stool in front of my vanity table, and I threw on a robe he'd given me, a beautiful peach-and-white-silk one. I began brushing Eric's long hair. After he said he didn't mind, I got some hair gel and slicked the blond strands back so there wouldn't be any loose hairs ruining the look. I took my time, making the neatest braid I could, and then I tied off the end. Without his hair floating around his face, Eric looked more severe, but just as handsome. I sighed.

"What is this sound coming from you?" he asked, turning from side to side to get several views of himself in the mirror. "Are you not happy with the result?"

"I think you look great," I said. Only the fact that he might accuse me of false modesty kept me from saying, "So what on earth are you doing with me?"

"Now I'll do your hair."

Something in me flinched. The night I'd had sex for the very first time, Bill had brushed my hair until the sensuality of the movement had turned into a very different kind of sensuality. "No, thanks," I said brightly.

I realized that I felt very odd, all of a sudden.

Eric swung around to look up at me. "What's making you so jumpy, Sookie?"

"Hey, what happened to Alaska and Hawaii?" I asked at random. I still had the brush in my hand, and without meaning to, I dropped it. It clattered on the wooden floor.

"What?" Eric looked down at the brush, then up at my face, in some confusion.

"What section are they in? They both in Nakamura?"

"Narayana. No. Alaska is lumped in with the Canadians. They have their own system. Hawaii is autonomous."

"That's just not right." I was genuinely indignant. Then I remembered there was something very important I had to tell Eric. "I guess Heidi reported back to you after she sniffed out my land? She told you about the body?" My hand jerked involuntarily.

Eric was watching my every move, his eyes narrowed. "We already talked about Debbie Pelt. If you really want me to, I'll move her."

I shivered all over. I wanted to tell him that the body was fresh. I'd started out to do that, but somehow I was having trouble formulating my sentence. I felt so peculiar. Eric cocked his head, his eyes locked on my face. "You're behaving very strangely, Sookie."

"Do you think Alcide could tell from the smell that the corpse was Debbie?" I asked. What was wrong with me?

"Not from the scent," he said. "A body is a body. It doesn't retain the distinctive scent that identified it as a particular person, especially after this long. Are you so worried about what Alcide thinks?"

"Not as much as I used to be," I said, babbling on. "Hey, I heard on the radio today that one of the senators from Oklahoma came out as a Were. He said he'd register with some government bureau the day they pried his fangs from his cold, dead corpse."

"I think the backlash from this will benefit vampires," Eric said with some satisfaction. "Of course, we'd always realized the government would want to keep track of us somehow. Now it seems that if the Weres win their fight to be free of supervision, we may be able to do the same."

"You better get dressed," I said. Something bad was going to happen soon, and Eric needed clothes.

He turned and peered at himself in the mirror one last time. "All right," he said, a little surprised. He was still nude and magnificent. But at the moment, I wasn't feeling a bit lusty. I was feeling jangly, and nervous, and worried. I felt like spiders were crawling all over my skin. I didn't know what could be happening to me. I tried to speak but found I couldn't. I made my fingers move in a "hurry up" gesture.

Eric gave me a quick, worried glance and wordlessly began searching for his clothes. He found his pants, and he pulled them on.

I sank down to the floor, my hands on both sides of my head. I thought my skull might detach from my spine. I whimpered. Eric dropped his shirt.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" he asked, sinking down to the floor beside me.

"Someone's coming," I said. "I feel so strange. Someone's coming. Almost here. Someone with your blood." I realized I'd felt a faint, faint trace of this same oddness before, when I'd confronted Bill's maker, Lorena. I hadn't had a blood bond with Bill, or at least not one anything like as binding as the one I had with Eric.

Eric rose to his feet in less than the blink of an eye, and I heard him make a sound deep in his chest. His hands were in white fists. I was huddled against my bed, and he was between me and the open window. In the blink of an eye, I realized there was someone right outside.

"Appius Livius Ocella," Eric said. "It's been a hundred years."

Geez Louise. Eric's maker.