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Russell could look down at Eric, since Eric was kneeling, and his golden brown eyes bored into Eric’s blue ones. “Alcide doesn’t hang with many vampires,” Russell said.

“I’m one of the few.”

“We have to get this young lady out of here,” Russell said.

The snarling a few feet away increased in intensity. There appeared to be a knot of animals gathered around something on the floor.

“Take that out of here!” roared Mr. Hob. “Out the back door! You know the rules!”

Two of the vampires lifted the corpse, for that was what the Weres and shifters were squabbling over, and carried it out the back door, followed by all the animals. So much for the black-haired fanatic.

Just this afternoon Alcide and I had disposed of a corpse. We’d never thought of just bringing it down to the club, laying it in the alley. Of course, this one was fresh.

“. . . maybe has nicked a kidney,” Eric was saying. I had been unconscious, or at least somewhere else, for a few moments.

I was sweating heavily, and the pain was excruciating. I felt a flash of chagrin when I realized I was sweating all over my dress. But possibly the big bloody hole had already ruined the dress anyway, huh?

“We’ll take her to my place,” Russell said, and if I hadn’t been sure I was very badly hurt, I might have laughed. “The limo’s on its way. I’m sure a familiar face would make her more comfortable, don’t you agree?”

What I thought was, Russell didn’t want to get his suit nasty picking me up. And Talbot probably couldn’t lug me. Though the small vampire with curly black hair was still there, and still smiling, I would be awful bulky for him . . .

And I lost some more time.

“Alcide turned into a wolf and chased after the assassin’s companion,” Eric was telling me, though I didn’t remember asking. I started to tell Eric who the companion was, and then I realized that I’d better not. “Leif,” I muttered, trying to commit the name to memory. “Leif. I guess my garters are showing. Does that mean . . . ?”

“Yes, Sookie?”

. . . and I was out again. Then I was aware I was moving, and I realized that Eric was carrying me. Nothing had ever hurt so badly in my life, and I reflected, not for the first time, that I’d never even been in a hospital until I’d met Bill, and now I seemed to spend half my time battered or recovering from being battered. This was very significant and important.

A lynx padded out of the bar beside us. I looked down into the golden eyes. What a night this was turning out to be for Jackson. I hoped all the good people had decided to stay home tonight.

And then we were in the limo. My head was resting on Eric’s thigh, and in the seat across from us sat Talbot, Russell, and the small curly-haired vampire. As we stopped at a light, a bison lumbered by.

“Lucky no one’s out in downtown Jackson on a weekend night in December,” Talbot was remarking, and Eric laughed.

We drove for what seemed like some time. Eric smoothed my skirt over my legs, and brushed my hair out of my face. I looked up at him, and . . .

“. . . did she know what he was going to do?” Talbot was asking.

“She saw him pull the stake out, she said,” Eric said mendaciously. “She was going to the bar to get another drink.”

“Lucky for Betty Joe,” Russell said in his smooth Southern drawl. “I guess she’s still hunting the one that got away.”

Then we pulled up into a driveway and stopped at a gate. A bearded vampire came up and peered in the window, looking at all the occupants carefully. He was far more alert than the indifferent guard at Alcide’s apartment building. I heard an electronic hum, and the gate opened. We went up a driveway (I could hear the gravel crunching) and then we swung around in front of a mansion. It was lit up like a birthday cake, and as Eric carefully extracted me from the limo, I could see we were under a porte cochere that was as fancy as all get-out. Even the carport had columns. I expected to see Vivian Leigh come down the steps.

I had a blank moment again, and then we were in the foyer. The pain seemed to be fading away, and its absence left me giddy.

As the master