The Sookie Stackhouse Companion

Although Crystal is unable to help, her uncle, Calvin Norris, offers Sookie his protection. Admitting that he has seen her in Merlotte’s, the Hotshot packleader begins a quiet courtship of Sookie, joining in an organized search of the woods surrounding Jason’s house with Bon Temps locals, along with Crystal and Hotshot’s best tracker, Felton Norris. Sookie despairs when there is no sign of Jason.
    The Weres decide to partner with the vamps to destroy the coven, and Sookie attends the conflict with Eric, using her abilities to identify the innocent local witches who are being forced to participate. The Weres and vampires prevail, and Pam takes Hallow, the coven leader, captive to force her to break the spell on Eric. Attacked by Debbie Pelt on their return home, Sookie is forced to shoot and kill her. Eric disposes of her body and her car while Sookie cleans up the mess. When he awakens the next evening, the spell has been broken, his memories are restored, and he has no recollection of the time they spent together. Pam arrives to take him home and fill him in on the Were war and the damage done to Fangtasia by the coven. When Sam informs Sookie that the Hotshot shifters are panthers, she tells him that a panther track was found at Jason’s, and the two race out to Hotshot. With Calvin’s help they locate a badly bitten and freezing Jason in Felton’s toolshed. Calvin assures them that Hotshot will see that Jason’s kidnapper is punished, and Sookie takes her brother home, knowing the chances are good that he will now shift with the moon.
    Sookie approaches Eric on Sam’s behalf when Sam is shot by a sniper targeting local shifters and needs to borrow a bartender. He complies, sending newly hired Charles Twining back to Bon Temps with her. Shortly thereafter, Alcide Herveaux escorts Sookie to the funeral of the Shreveport packmaster, who has died in a car accident. Sookie doesn’t realize at first that Alcide is also hoping she will use her ability for his father’s benefit on the Were running against his father for the packmaster position. At the funeral, her attention is caught by a tall, bald man who seems to be watching over the proceedings, including her furious albeit hushed discussion with Alcide on the church steps about his deceit. After work that night she takes Charles home with her to stay in the vampire hidey-hole. She is awakened in the night first by Charles confronting Bill in her yard and then by a fire. Claudine pops in to rescue her, and Charles claims he killed the arsonist in self-defense. Sookie is shaken but soon begins to rebuild her damaged kitchen, staying in a rental house in town. While returning books to the library, Sookie is winged by a sniper.
    Sookie asks Eric for assistance for her friend Tara, who is being abused by a vampire named Mickey. Eric is happy to do a favor for Sookie, providing she repay it by telling him the truth about what happened while he had amnesia. She complies, and he is stunned to find that he was willing to give up everything to be with her.
    She attends the packmaster contest and finds Quinn, the tall man from the funeral, officiating. Although she catches Alcide’s father’s opponent, Patrick Furnan, cheating, the pack decides to allow the contest to continue anyway, and Alcide’s father is ultimately killed by his opponent. Alcide turns from her, seeking comfort with another Were, and she goes to work that night with a heavy heart. She realizes that the bartender Eric lent to Sam is not who he says he is, and the vampire admits that he is there to kill her in revenge for the staking of Long Shadow. She is able to stuff her silver chain in his mouth and escape, and the vampire is staked by the regular patrons at Merlotte’s.
    Sookie meets up with weretiger Quinn again a month later, when he walks into Merlotte’s with two purposes: to deliver a message from the vampire Queen of Louisiana, whose wedding he has just overseen for his company, and to ask Sookie out. She is delighted to go out on a real date, but their good time is ruined when they are attacked by two bitten Weres while leaving the theater. After filing a police report, Quinn takes Sookie to a shifter bar to inform them of the attack and remind them that she is a friend of the pack. Quinn takes her home, and they set up another date, but Mr. Cataliades arrives to take her to New Orleans to settle her late, twice-deceased vampire cousin Hadley’s estate. Bill accompanies them to