As planned, Eric, Bill, and Sookie all travel to the summit as part of the queen’s entourage. The King of Mississippi and the King of Indiana conclude their marriage contracts and decide to marry at the summit, but the priest doesn’t show up for the wedding. Ordained online by the Church of the Loving Spirit, Eric steps in as priest and performs the ceremony, keeping the ceremonial knife and cloak afterward. When Andre decides to force Sookie into a blood bond to tie her closer to the Louisiana vamps, Eric steps in again and offers himself in Andre’s stead, using the ceremonial knife to cut himself for Sookie. Eric and Pam are saved by Sookie during the bombing of the hotel and return to Shreveport to recover.

After calling in all his vampires, Eric himself is cut off from Fangtasia when the Nevada vamps arrive to take over Louisiana. He makes his way to Sookie’s house but has been tracked by Victor Madden and his crew. Victor makes an offer of surrender to Eric and Bill, informing them that he has Fangtasia surrounded and ready to burn. The vampires accept his terms, and Eric becomes the only sheriff from the old regime to survive the takeover. Fearful that King Felipe de Castro will force Sookie to work for him, taking her from her home, Eric sends her a wrapped bundle containing the ceremonial knife from the summit with instructions to present it to him in front of Victor. The formal presentation and acceptance signify a vampire marriage, making Sookie off-limits to other vamps. They eventually begin a romantic relationship, and though Sookie does not truly acknowledge the marriage, as it is not legal in human terms, Eric considers her his wife in every way that matters to him.

When Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, arrives with another child in tow, Eric takes them in. Ocella hopes that Eric’s presence will calm the child, Alexei Romanov, whom he saved from execution by Bolsheviks, but Alexei is a drain on Ocella and Eric and, through their blood bond, on Sookie as well. Alexei becomes uncontrollable, killing Bobby and Felicia at Eric’s house and badly injuring both Eric and Pam. He is finally stopped by silver chains in Sookie’s front yard, and Eric stakes his brother with a tree branch. Ocella is killed by a crazed fae intent on killing Sookie, and Eric mourns his maker even as he rejoices in his freedom.