Chapter 2
LEX'S POV:
I knew where she would be. There is only one place she goes to think or just to get away. I didn't even have to contemplate whether or not to deal with the Viking or to go to my mate. She is always first.
Although, once I have comforted my bonded something must be done to him. He touched someone he knew was my bonded. That is a blood offence. But I did notice that no one outside of our little group seemed to notice anything, so Addie must have taken care of that.
Walking in to what has been named 'Sookie's Library', I see my bonded curled up in her mothers lap, just like when she was little. Thankfully, I hear no sobs so she must not be crying.
Without hesitation, I vamp over to them and kneel on the floor in front of them, gently rubbing her back. I can feel her break then, she turns out of Sookies arms and falls into mine, her body shaking in silent sobs.
She only allows herself to cry for a few minutes before she starts to regain her normal breathing. I hear her take in a few deep breaths, taking in my scent, while her mom rubs her back.
"You didn't have to follow me. Everyone will wonder where you have gone off to." She says without moving from her spot under my chin.
"I am exactly where I want and need to be. They can get over it. I am a King, I don't answer to them, but I am sure that the Prince is wondering where you ran off to."
"If you two are good here, I will go talk to Grandfather and let him know what's going on." Sookie says before kissing both mine and Addies foreheads and leaving the room.
"I didn't expect it to go like this. I wasn't even sure if I was going to tell him, ever. But when I saw how he saw me and then Momma in his mind, I couldn't keep it in anymore." She says trying to sound strong but I feel her pain through our bond.
AP'S POV:
Oh, the drama. People are always presented more than one path on the journey of life. There is no 'Right' path. Sometimes, they take the easy one, that turns out not as fulfilling as it could have been. And sometimes they just flat out take a wrong turn, and wonder around lost until they either give up or keep persevering until they find they way back onto their path of fate. But, no matter what, every path has its own obstacles.
I don't normally interefer in other's lives, especially matters of the heart. However, when it is one of my own blood line, I try to keep a close eye on them. Sookie Stackhouse is a many times great granddaughter. Admittedly, one that I was unaware of until our first meeting in Rhodes many years ago. Once I saw her, I knew. And I tried to keep a closer eye on her. I thought she was well protected after the Viking bonded with her, but I knew something was off.
When I got a phone call a little over 100 years ago from the Faery Dermot, I knew I had to intervene. I had had some visions regarding the Viking, my granddaughter, De Castro, and Freyda. Honestly, most of it didn't make sense. But I had Dermot take me to see her, within a couple of days Sookie was living with me.
Shortly after Sookie moved in, I had a vision of her dying in childbirth. Normally, I wouldn't tell someone about their own death, but Sookie was my kin. I had to talk to her about it.
Sookie told me that she died months before when her love chose a queen over her. That was the reason she severed all ties to him.
I was able to convince her to let me turn her as a last resort. I'm glad I did too, because she started hemmorraging shortly after giving birth to Addie. I turned her that night, and she has been a Vampire ever since. Sookie is just shy of 100 years old, but her control is amazing.
This Summit really needs to be successful, so this matter needs to be settled. It's time for everyone to get back on their fated paths. After sending out one of my handmaidens to summon those necessary, I sit back and wait.
Sookie's POV
After leaving Addie and Lex, I head towards my Fae family. Grandfather, Claude, and their guards allow me into their circle with no questions asked. It took some reassurances from me, but Niall is willing to let things play out tonight. I leave them to their previous conversation once I feel a call from my Maker.
Now that is something I never expected to happen. I never wanted to be a Vampire. I also never thought I'd be a parent either. But I wouldn't change either.
I thought my life had come to an end for awhile. I wasn't sure how I would be able to proceed. First, we planned and executed a murder! Even after everything that had happened, and everything that Victor had put us through, it was hard for me to come to terms with. Once it was done, everyone was celebrating, and I just couldn't.
I felt relief, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't happy with myself at all. That was something Eric just couldn't understand. And that bite! Never before had I felt anything like it, especially from Eric. It was like he was purposely being mean. He didn't even heal the mark. Then he had Bill escort me home, that was a whole other side of awkard for the night. Bill, yet again, professing his love for me.
About a week after the assassination of Victor Madden, I received a Pledging invitation for Eric and the Queen of Oklahoma. I was PISSED! After everything we had done, he was still going to pledge to her.
Amelia and Bob were still visiting, and she told me she had discovered a way to sever mine and Eric's bond. I really didn't think it through to long, but I needed to be alone in my thoughts and feelings. He obviously didn't care about our bond much anyway. He never explained what it meant. He was going to marry another Vampire. He had told me that we bonded to protect me from Andre and the Queen, but they were both dead. Plus, we were pledged, which from what Eric told me, would still protect me from the new King.
The bond broke, and instantly I had a call from him. I hadn't seen or heard from him since the whole Victor incident, yet now that I did something for me, he was instantly available. He was soo mad, I was actually worried what he would do. He said he would come see me once he had calmed down.
As the weeks passed, I was slowly getting used to being just me again. No Vampire blood affecting me. Sam and I did confront Claude and Dermot, mainly Claude. They finally admitted that they had been spending so much time with me as a way of bringing out the Fae in me. I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about that, but from Claudes attitude, I told him to find somewhere else to stay. Dermot stayed close by though.
I started feeling odd. I didn't know if it was the lack of bond, the exposure to Faeries, or something else. I was having a hard time sleeping, I had absolutely no appetite. My stomach felt like it was attacking itself, and even though my bond between Eric had been broken, I still felt like I wasn't quite alone.
I finally mentioned it to Dermot, hoping that maybe he knew what was going on. The day after he said he would look into it, the Ancient Pythoness showed up in my living room. I was instantly cautious of her, I mean she IS a Vampire, an old one. But she urged me to read her mind, which I did. I was able to see the connection between us. She wasn't the start of my family line, but she was way further back on my family tree then the family Bible had room for.
She told me what she knew of Eric and Freyda's Pledging. That it was still on, Eric had not petitioned his king or the Council to overturn the contract. And that it was possible to be pledged to more than one person at a time, as long as only one of them was a political pledge. She also educated me on the requirements of a Political Pledge. Yet again something Eric hadn't told me about.
When I asked her what normally would happen when someone was already bonded, she told me that it was pretty odd for that to happen. The only thing she could compare it to was a pet. A pet would become a 'shared' pet of the pledged pair.
My mind instantly went into overdrive. What would happen to me? What would they expect of me? Would I just become a donor? Would Eric just throw me away? I broke into tears and hitailed it to the bathroom and emptied the meager contents of my stomach into the toilet. It was all to much. I started seeing spots, then everything was black.
When I woke up a couple of hours later, I had an IV sticking into my arm. Turning my head, I saw Dermot and the AP sitting in chairs around the couch that I was lying on. And someone short is poking around on my stomach.
Everything after that was pretty much a blur. I found out that by me constantly wearing the Cluviel Dor, it allowed me to become pregnant, by ERIC! Apparently, because on my continual exposure to my Fae kin, my spark started maturing. The Fae in me wanted to become pregnant, the magic in the Cluviel Dor allowed it.
The AP left me with an offer I couldn't refuse. Protection and a chance to raise my surprise bundle of joy. I didn't really know what to do. She said she would send a plane for me. And when I was ready, her home would be open. My child and I would be safe, something I couldn't provide for on my own.
The next morning, I packed up everything of importance to me, added Uncle Dermot's name to the Farmhouse title, and he 'popped' me to the private plane waiting for me.
After I settled on the Island, I asked my MorMor(as she offered as a name) if there was a way of formally severing all ties with HIM. Of course, she was able to work it all to my advantage. HE never went through the proper steps required to bond or pledge with Fae royalty. All I asked for was my freedom.
Pregnancy wise, things went smoothly. Little Addie was the only thing that made me want to continue on. When MorMor told me of her vision, I wasn't sure what to do. But when she offered to turn me, I instantly knew it was the right thing to do. Never before had it sounded right, but at that point it did.
I was able to give birth to my daughter. I held her, kissed her forehead, and named her, Adeline North Brigant. Adeline after my Gran Adele, North after her father Northman, and Brigant as her official last name.
Then I was turned, I had to get a Nanny to help with her at first while I adjusted to being a Vampire, but Addie has never known what it is to feel unloved. I always knew the day would come when she wondered about her father. When I told her about him, she almost broke. Actually, there was no almost. She did break, and Alexander was there to pick her up.
They have been pretty much inseparable since then. She stood by his side when he took the crown of Sweden and he stood by her side while she took on the mantle of leading the Fae residing in the Mortal Realm.
But even before they truly became one, they were there for each other. He taught her how to be a Vampire when I couldn't and she showed him that there was more to existence than just moving from night to night.
He kept her alive, but she brought him back to life. And I have been able to sit back and watch as a proud parent. But tonight will take its toll on Addie as well as myself. I ran all those years ago, just like HE said I always did. And because of that, Addie didn't grow up with a father.
When she found out that he would be at the summit, she didn't want to come. Unfortunately, she had to. So she decided that she would mask most of her scent and just see how things happened.
Addie looks a lot me, but she also resembles HIM. She has long blonde hair, like both of us. Her face is similar to how mine looked while I was pregnant with her(more Fae like).
I turned into almost a full blooded Fairy in order to carry Addie safely to term. Therefore, my features had changed. I had this glow and my ears had become pointed.
Addie has partially pointed ears because she is half Fairy and half Vampire. She has a permanent tan whether she is in the sun or not. And she has two sets of fangs: Vampire fangs that are right next her Fae fangs, which extend down from her canines.
She is taller than me but shorter than HIM, but mostly has my body structure(Full hips, full chest, narrow waist, and a booty). But what truly seals the deal, other than her scent, is her eyes. They are exact duplicates of HIS.
All this reflecting on the past makes a part of me ache, the part that used to love HIM. The part that still does love HIM.
Now I shall wait with my maker for everyone else to arrive for this little impromptu family reunion.
LEX'S POV:
"Tell me what to do Addie. How can I make you feel better?" I ask, because honestly I don't know what to do or what she needs, but I know she needs something.
"We need to get back to the party. I will be ok, I promise." She tells me, trying to sound strong.
"I don't care about the party. This was supposed to be a happy night for us and I couldn't protect you emotionally from that Neanderthal. For that I am truly sorry, he will suffer, but first let me help you. Just tell me what to do." I beg her.
Finally looking up to me with a look I have only seen on her face one other time, she whispers, "make love to me, please."
Well, that I can take care of. She needs to feel loved and I can definitely show her my love and admiration. She is my bonded; I would do anything to make her feel better.
I pick her up and she wraps her legs around my waist, before I head for the couch.
"Not here," she whispers into my ear before nuzzling into my neck. I hadn't been thinking of the where, I was just thinking of making my mate feel better.
Addie would never do anything other than some cuddling and kissing in here. The next thing I know we are in our suite located in my mistress' main house, far away from the party.