“In fact," Eric said, as he went to the front door, "I'd throw it away entirely. Maybe burn it."He left, closing the door behind him very quietly.I knew, as sure as I knew my name, that tomorrow he would send me another coat, in a big fancy box, with a big bow on it. It would be the right size, it would be a top brand, and it would be warm.It was cranberry red, with a removable liner, a detachable hood and tortoiseshell buttons.”

“I knew, as sure as I knew my name, that tomorrow he would send me another coat, in a big fancy box, with a big bow on it. It would be the right size, it would be a top brand, and it would be warm................It was cranberry red, with a removable liner, a detachable hood, and tortoiseshell buttons.”

“Eric turned to me, kissed me on the lips very lightly, and looked at my face for a long moment. “He’ll spare you,” Eric said, and I understood he wasn’t really talking to me but to himself. “You’re too unique to waste.” And then he opened the door.”

“She won't win," Eric said. He sounded confident, passionate--everything I might have hoped would be reassuring."You're sure?" I asked."Yes, my lover. I'm sure.""But you're not here," I observed, and I hung up very gently. He didn't call back.”

“I looked up into Eric's eyes. Incredibly, he was excited. He smiled at me. "I knew I'd get on top of you somehow," he said."Are you trying to make me mad so I'll forget how scared I am?" "No, I'm just opportunistic."I wiggled, trying to get out from under him, and he said, "Oh, do that again. It felt great.”

“I am here," Eric said."And I am here." I was a little amused at Eric's phone answering technique. "Sookie, my little bullet-sucker," he said, sounding fond and warm. "Eric, my big bullshitter.”

“Though I was having a blissful moment of being happy and content, I had one of those stray ideas you get at odd moments. I thought,How nice it would be if Eric were here with me in the car. He'd look so good with the wind blowing his hair, and he'd enjoy the moment . Well, yeah, before he burned to a crisp.But I realized I'd thought of Eric because it was the kind of day you wanted to share with the person you cared about, the person whose company you enjoyed the most. And that would be Eric as he'd been while he was cursed by a witch: the Eric who hadn't been hardened by centuries of vampire politics, the Eric who had no contempt for humans and their affairs, the Eric who was not in charge of many financial enterprises and responsible for the lives and incomes of quite a few humans and vampires. In other words, Eric as he would never be again.”