A/N: I must apologize entirely for not updating sooner! With this new job & an open schedule, my ME time has been limited. I forgot what it was like balancing work & home life, lol. When I'm catching up on my shows (thank GOD for DVR lmao!) I'm also working on my Christmas gifts (hand made scarves). So yeah, I must multi task. However, since today is officially my day off & my home chores are done, I decided to add another chapter :))
Btw, I hope I have some time to finish the chapter that I've been working on "/
Anyways...I got a review recently from a fellow reader who didn't think that having Isabelle quitting her job was setting a good example to other women out there & that I should promote independence. Honestly, I did that because I wanted Isabelle to be there for her girls, her days really are limited. If I could spend one more day, one more hour, hell, even one more minute with my sister who passed away some years ago, I would jump at that chance. I would have never taken the time that we had left for granted. But not only that, I also needed her to have time on her hands for this story. It was never done intentionally to devalue women across the world. I just wanted her to have the time that I never had to spend it the way that she wanted with whom she wanted. Of course, not without a few bumps along the way LOL which makes a pretty good storyline ;p
Thank you for reading & for your patience. You truly are awesome!
I do not claim the rights to any of the characters from the Southern Vampire Mysteries or True Blood. Read, review, && enjoy! ^_^
"Is this some kind of sick joke the two of you are playing?" I hissed, creating a distance between not only 'Beau' and I but between Dominic too. "The two of you are brothers? So what was this, a game or a bet you two got going on? Who can knock me up first or some shit?" I growled angrily.
Beau (whom I now know as Dominic's brother, Gabrielus) had an unreadable expression as he watched me, never taking his eyes off of me.
Dominic, however, was just as confused as he glanced between us. "You know each other?"
"Yes." we said simultaneously.
"She's carrying my unborn child." Gabrielus said with a hardened jaw.
Before I could think what I was going to add after that, Dominic tackled Gabrielus to the ground. Anger rose a few notches above normal fights between siblings. Fists were thrown, a few missed, but not enough. And blood was shed.
Oh sugar.
I knew that this was bad and only the beginning. I knew things would only get worse from here. And well, I really didn't know what to do. I mean, what can I do? I'm pregnant.
Ugh. Why cant I have visions when I really need them?
I'm sure if I did, I wouldn't be standing here watching these two idiots brawl like it's a MMA match.
A supernatural version, anyways.
But when they decided to use their powers on each other; Dominic and his fire and wrathful blows and Gabrielus and his ice (literally) and water, that's when I decided to retreat into my house.
Fuck it. I'm exhausted. Let them kill each other, that would solve my problem.
As much as I wanted to talk to Amy, I really didn't want to ruin her honeymoon. So I took my issues to Sookie.
"Brothers?"
I nodded, "And they look nothing alike. Total opposites."
Just like their powers.
"Wow, you got yourself in a pickle." she said softly in an apologetic tone. "What are you going to do?"
I shrugged, "Dig another hole in your yard and hide?"
She frowned at me, taking a moment to herself before gasping. "Come with me."
"Um, where, to another planet?"
"Last night I received some bad news…" she began with a slight pout. "My cousin, Hadley, she's dead and she left me everything."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I said. "But where is it that you need to go? Like you have to get her body or something?"
She shook her head as she began fidgeting. "No, no. She was turned vampire some years ago…I think." she said, giving it a moments thought. "She has an apartment in New Orleans and I have to go there and like clean it out. You know, pack it up."
I nodded, "Oh."
"Alcide cant go with me since he has work and this was so last minute. In fact, I wasn't sure when I was planning on going."
"Are you taking your boys?"
"No, I talked it over with Jason. When I decided to go, he promised to watch them while I'm away. I mean, its only for a few days. Three the most." she said. "But since you need a break, I figured you could make the trip with me?" she added.
I wasn't too sure if a pregnant woman should be going on a road trip. But I did need time and space to think.
"I really don't want to take my girls though…"
"Oh." she said softly. "Well, it was just a thought. I mean, three days out of Bon Temps might be good. But I understand, I don't blame you if you don't want to go. Maybe its too soon."
I shook my head, "No, no. This is a good idea. You're right." I said. "Besides, Dominic is here and Amy will be back soon. And its only a few days."
She sat up straight, eyes wide with hope. "So you're coming?"
"Sure…"
Why not? What's the worse that could happen?
We waited until Amy got back from her honeymoon before leaving for New Orleans.
Amy didn't feel comfortable out and about and pregnant. In fact, she actually regretted having her honeymoon in Jamaica. She told me that she wished she had changed her honeymoon plans to Italy or some place romantic.
But long plane rides and pregnant women don't go well together anyways.
Thankfully for me though, her honeymoon was only a weekend long and I managed to avoid both brothers despite the fact that this was a really small town and Dominic lived minutes down the road from me.
"When you come back, you will tell me everything right?" she asked. "In detail." she added.
I sighed heavily, "I owe you that for staying here and watching my girls on such a short notice."
My debt to her is growing more and more each year.
She snorted, "Oh you know I will do anything for you and my girls." she groaned. "Besides, if I was in your shoes, I would kill both of them and then burn them. Then I would spread their ashes in the wind on my way to New Orleans." she added with a smirk. "But then again, that's just me."
Sookie gulped, "Jeez."
"That's a little much Amy."
"Lucky for them, though, they messed with the wrong witch." she hissed. "But hey, you two better get going if you want to make it there before the sun goes down." she said, taking a step back from the passenger window.
"Thank you." I said. "I will call you when we get there."
"You better."
Sookie slowly pulled out of my driveway as we waved a goodbye.
"Was she serious about that whole murder plot?" Sookie asked, glancing sideways at me.
I shrugged, glaring out the window. "With Amy? You never really know."
It took us a little longer to get there since we had to stop nearly every half hour for bathroom breaks.
Pregnancy.
"Okay, I might have left a tiny detail out of what happened to my cousin." Sookie said just before pulling alongside the curb of a quiet residential street.
It was nearly dark and the street lights were already on, illuminating the pavement just outside my car door.
Oh no, I don't like the sound of that.
"And that is?"
"Its not as bad as you might think." she insisted as she got out, making her way around to my door. "I mean, she was murdered-" she began as she opened my door.
"Murdered?!" I shrieked with a high pitch tone. "Oh my god!"
"But that was taken care of last night."
I raised a brow to her as I got out. "What's that suppose to mean?"
She closed the door behind me as she shrugged, "My cousin was in some kind of relationship with the Queen." "Vampire queen." she corrected mentally. "And the queen's lawyer was the one who delivered the news a few nights ago along with her murderer." she said. "Long story short, he was staked."
I winced, "So we don't have to worry about any dangers here right?" I asked. "I mean, I'm in no position right now." I added, glancing down at my growing belly. "I may not be popping out that much but its enough to know that I'm probably pregnant."
Or I could be one of those women with a beer gut.
She grabbed my hands, "Oh Isabelle, you know I would never intentionally put you in danger. If I had a feeling this trip would have even the slightest bit of danger, I wouldn't have dragged you along. I would've brought my husband instead." she said in a reassuring tone.
I clenched my teeth as I released a sigh of relief, "Well that's good." I said. "So where's your cousin's apartment and how are we getting in?" I asked. "You do have a key right?"
"Of course. Besides, if we have trouble getting in, I was told the owner lives on the first floor."
After walking down the sidewalk next to a six foot wall, we finally came to an opening that lead us to the driveway. Hadley's apartment was in a two story building forming an L and painted white with dark green shutters. There was a small courtyard with a tight circular drive. In the middle of the drive was a small garden like centerpiece made up of individual plants. In the right corner was a tool shed.
We took the stairs that curved up the short part of the L. But as soon as we started up those stairs, I could feel magic tingling on my skin. I knew there had to be a witch living here with some kind of ward up.
If there's no danger here then why is there a ward? I mentally asked myself.
Of course, Sookie heard me and stopped midway, gripping the wrought-iron handrail. "Ward? You can tell?"
I bit my lip, "Sorry, that wasn't meant-"
She took a step down, "Maybe we should go. You know, wait for Alcide or…something."
"Its late and we're already here." I sighed. "Besides, it's a ward. Meant to keep danger out." I reminded her. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
She frowned down at me, "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "Come on Sookie." I said, ushering her up the stairs.
When we got to the second floor, there were two doors. There was also a broad roofed balcony running below the windows and doors of the second floor meant to provide shade for those sitting inside on the ground floor.
But it wasn't until we got to the front door that I could literally feel the magic vibrating off of the doors and windows.
This is a good sign. Right?
Sookie hesitated as she placed the key into the lock. Then with a deep breath, she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Immediately, the feeling of warm, stale air greeted us.
"Exactly how long has your cousin been…" I couldn't even finish that sentence as we stepped in.
"Awhile, according to Mr. Cataliades."
"Who?"
"The queen's lawyer." she said as she fumbled through the dark room for the switch of the nearest light, a lamp on a marble topped pedestal to the right of the door.
I didn't know Sookie's cousin. But from the look of her hardwood floors and antique furniture; which I'm assuming is quite authentic given the fact that she wasn't only a vampire but in a relationship with the Queen.
Lavishing a lover with money and gifts comes with the territory.
Clearly her cousin is the total opposite from Sookie.
Or it could be a vampire thing.
"Whoever designed this place must like the letter L." I said blankly as I noted the open floor plan of Hadley's apartment.
Sometimes I miss apartment living.
"Yeah…maybe."
The shorter part of the upside-down L was the living room where we stood. To our far right was the kitchen. To the left of us, the longer part of the L, was a hall lined with French windows that opened directly onto the balcony. The other side of the hall were doors that most likely lead to the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Feeling my bladder weighing heavily, I headed straight to those doors in search of a bathroom while Sookie scoped out the front half of the apartment.
Thankfully the first door was the bathroom. It was small and ridiculously clean. There was a narrow shower stall, a toilet, and a sink. I found it strange that there was no personal touch to this bathroom. Not even a used towel.
Vampires didn't use the bathrooms the way humans do. Guess that explains it. I thought as I closed the door behind me to do my business, thankful that there was at least a roll of toilet paper.
Guess she held onto some human instincts.
When I emerged, I found Sookie unlocking one of the windows in the hall, placing a hamper outside.
"Don't want that stinking up the apartment while we're still here." she said when she saw the curious look I gave her. "There's a daybed in that room next to the bathroom." she said, nodding to the door beside me. "You could sleep there, if its not too uncomfortable for you."
I nodded, "Sure." I said.
I wasn't going to argue with the sleeping arrangements. I was exhausted regardless if all we basically did was sit on our behinds majority of the ride here. All I wanted to do was shower and sleep right after making that phone call to Amy and my girls.
And pray that sleep will come easy.
I woke up the next morning to voices. Sookie's voice, I recognized. But the other, I didn't.
…"Beg pardon?"
"What are you?" Sookie asked.
I sat up, running a hand over my face as I clambered out of bed.
"Oh, a witch." the unknown female voice replied.
"Figured." Sookie stated. "Did you do the spells to seal off the apartment?"
"Yes."
Ah…I thought as I walked out of the room and into the living room where a woman about our age sat on one of the arm chairs.
She had a deep tan, short chestnut hair, and blue eyes.
"Sorry did we wake you?" Sookie apologized from the kitchen.
I shrugged, "I've had enough rest." I said.
"Well, I hope you're not hungry because just like your typical vampire, all there is in Hadley's fridge are True Bloods." Sookie groaned. "Sorry, where are my manners?" she asked herself. "Isabelle, this is Amelia, my cousin's landlord. Amelia, this is my friend Isabelle." Sookie said, introducing us. "She came here to help me out."
I waved to her, "So you're the witch who placed a ward up on this place?" I asked, taking a seat on the nearest chair. "Why?" I asked, curious.
"The night that her cousin died, I was told to shut this sucker up and that Hadley wouldn't be coming back. Also, the queen wanted this place kept in tact for Miss. Stackhouse-"
"Mrs. Herveaux." Sookie corrected.
"-her heir. So the next morning I came up here and began cleaning." Amelia continued as if Sookie hadn't interrupted.
"So you were the one who emptied the trash too?" Sookie asked. "And you made the bed?"
"Well, yeah. I didn't realize that when I was told to keep the apartment 'in tact', he meant 'untouched'." she said. "And boy did Cataliades let me have it."
"What else did you do?"
She shrugged, "After that? Nothing, I mean, besides the stasis spell and ward." she said. "You know what I thought was strange? The night that I had took the trash out, someone went through the garbage bin that same night."
"Dumpster diving." I said.
"No, the bin. I didn't put it out for pickup yet." she corrected.
"Did they take anything?" Sookie asked, clearly trying to piece together some puzzle.
"I wouldn't know. Its not like I took inventory of the damn thing."
Sook, its probably nothing.
"So you own this building." Sookie stated, steering off the subject. "When did you rent it to her?"
"A few years ago. She was already a vamp."
I couldn't help but wonder why Sookie was so oblivious about her own cousin's life. I mean, its not like she had much family besides Jason. In fact, I cant remember ever hearing about Hadley, until now. I doubt she was even invited to her wedding.
"Should we be worried?" I asked, speeding up the questions. "As you can tell, I'm in no position to be dealing with vampires and their bullshit that comes with it." I said, almost bitterly. "Sorry, Sook."
She nodded, understanding my point of view because she was there in my shoes a few times herself.
"There has been a few break in attempts. The last was only a couple days ago." Amelia said. "I figured whoever did it were probably those people who like to rob the dead. But then again, vampires don't announce when one of their kind croaks." she said. "It could've been hoodlums scoping out the place, watching to see if anyone's home…" she trailed off.
I glanced at Sookie, "Its probably nothing to worry about." I said, trying my best to reassure her. "Well…" I said, standing to my feet. "I'm going to get ready and grab us something to eat while the two of you catch up." I said. "Its nice to meet you Amelia." I added just before retreating to the bathroom.
Thankfully Amelia offered to help me find the nearest grocery store otherwise it would take me hours to find it.
Or I could settle with the nearest convenience store. Their food isn't all that bad.
While we were out, Sookie asked if I could pick up some packing supplies and she will pay me when I got back.
When we returned hours later, I thanked Amelia before retreating to the apartment.
The moment I walked in, I could smell a faint stench.
Perks of being pregnant.
Assuming it was the whiff I probably got from the towels Sookie had set out on the railing the night before, I went straight to the kitchen to cook us something to eat.
I noticed Sookie had organized her cousins things in three piles; keep, donate, and trash.
"After we eat, I'll help you bring up the boxes." I told her. "By the way, how are we taking all this stuff? You didn't bring the truck."
She nodded, pausing as she placed her hands on her hips. "No, I know." she huffed. "After I determine how much stuff I'm actually taking, then I'll rent one of those U-Haul things that can be attached to the back of the car." she said. "I mean its not like I really want any of this."
"Okay." I said, nodding. "Well, lunch or early dinner is done."
After we were done eating, we or more like Sookie took a break, lounging on the couch. Not that it was all that comfy to begin with.
"Thanks for being here with me." Sookie said. "I didn't want to do this alone."
I smiled at her, "Believe me, this is not only like a physical vacation, it's a mental one too. I haven't even thought of those idiots." I said. "Well, until now." I groaned.
"Sorry." she quickly apologized. "So since you have all this time to think things over, have you decided what you're going to do?"
I leaned against the counter, "Not really. In fact, I don't want to see either of them for a long time."
She smiled at me, "They sure make Eric seem like an angel at this point."
I rolled my eyes, "Tell me about it."
"I mean I know that Eric has his issues and I don't understand it at times. But I'm sure he does things in his own way because he cares." she said, literally out of the blue. "But for two brothers to play you…" she shook her head with disapproval. "…and to make matters worse, one knocks you up."
I wanted to correct her but I chose not to. Its not like she needed to know how deep the shit I'm actually in.
"It looks bad doesn't it." I said.
"Crap, I'm suppose to do some washing."
Sookie stood up, opening the door just as she remembered the towels she left outside. "I will never understand men and the games they play." she said as she retrieved them, closing the door behind her.
One whiff of those towels and I couldn't resist gagging. The smell that came off them were simply disgusting, certainly nothing like I've ever smelled before. And being pregnant only intensified it.
I quickly covered my nose and mouth with my palm. "Please tell me you're not planning on keeping that." I groaned. "Why don't you just-"
Sookie quickly dropped them at her feet after opening them up.
"Oh no."
I didn't want to know what was in those towels. Whatever it was had to be pretty bad. It sure as hell smelt bad.
"What did you do?" Sookie asked.
It took a moment longer for me to realize she wasn't actually asking me. She quickly took off down the hall, clearly in search for something.
I found a plastic bag and used it to pick up the towels and tied it up, placing the bag outside by the door.
"We have a problem." Sookie said, voice trembling.
I turned around, closing the door behind me. "What kind of problem?"
She frowned, "My cousin…she did something."
I felt my throat tighten as my gut knotted. "Does this something have to do with those stinky towels?" I asked. All she could do was nod. "Maybe you should call your husband as soon as possible."
She nodded, "You're right." she said, going back down the hall to the master room.
After a few minutes, I found Sookie sitting on the edge of the bed clutching her cell phone.
"Alcide is going to be pissed that I didn't wait for him." she said. "And worse, I dragged you here with me." she said, starring off into the darkened walk in closet.
"Did you call him?" I asked.
"And tell him what? I don't even know where to begin." she said softly. "I swear, vampires come with far more baggage than any Supe I know." she groaned. "And my screwed up cousin just had to drag me back down this damn road." As soon as she said that, she quickly bit her lip, mentally regretting those words. "I have a family, two kids. I cant still be doing this shit."
I placed my hands on my hips, "How deep is this exactly?" I asked. "I'm sure we can figure this out."
She nodded toward the closet, "There's a body in there."
I quickly jumped as far away from the closet door as my pregnant body allowed as I let out a shriek.
What the hell?!
"Jeez Sook." I gasped, trying to slow my heartbeat. "Why-" and before I finished that question, I found the answer. Damn witch. "Her stupid spell not only kept everything in tact, it also kept that body from stinking." I shivered in disgust. "Sooner or later that body will catch up with time and it will be far worse than it is now." I told her. "And I'm in no position to be dealing with the stench of the dead without getting my own DNA all over it." I gagged.
She smiled up at me as she remembered that night with Debbie.
"Where's a vampire when you need one?" she asked, shaking her head as she turned back to the closet.
I don't know why I thought this when I saw something in the closet move, but I did. I imagined that the dead body was returning from the dead as a freaking zombie.
Scared still, I gulped. "Um Sookie." I whispered.
Sookie stood up, gripping her phone tightly. "Shit."
In the next second, the 'dead body' jumped out and reached for the nearest person.
"Zombie!" I screamed, quickly scattering as fear took over.
The guy grabbed a hold of Sookie and began snapping his teeth at her as he dragged her to the ground with him. At that point, I had to get out of there. I saw enough zombie movies to know that once bitten, eventually that person will become one of the undead.
Shit, Sookie!
I immediately fought the urge to run out and leave her behind. Instead, I jumped on the bed furiously looking around for something. Anything will do.
I grabbed the nearest lamp, yanking it out from the wall as I crashed it over the guys head. That got his attention as he let go of Sookie just in time. If I waited a second longer, his mouth would've came down onto her.
Oh fuck.
He growled as he turned to me. But as soon as he leaped for me, I dodged him, quickly jumping off of the bed and took that moment to run like crazy out of the room and down the hall.
"Isabelle watch out!" was all I heard from Sookie before being tackled by the zombie. I maneuvered my body quickly as an attempt to save my unborn child as I twisted my body so that when I did land, I would land on the zombie.
For a split second, the zombie was face to face with me. I realized then that this wasn't a freaking zombie but rather a very hungry vampire. The look in his eyes, I saw it once, through the eyes of Lily.
Fuck. I thought just before the vampire sank his fangs into the side of my neck, feeding savagely from me.
I managed to gurgle a scream before my entire body combusted into flames. But unlike the fire balls I create, this fire that consumed my entire body, incinerated my clothes in seconds.
What the hell?
The flames that burned bright and angry not only torched my clothes, it also scorched the vampire beneath me in the process.
He practically spit me out and tossed me aside as he screamed out in pain. He rolled off to the side in a fetal position as his naked body suffered third degree burns.
Thank you fire.
I stumbled to a stand as I glared at myself in the reflection of the glass and was almost mesmerized by what I saw. The blood that trickled down from the wound on my neck sizzled and evaporated.
"Shit. I don't know how to turn this off." I panicked, glancing over at Sookie who was in pure shock, bracing herself against the frame of the bathroom door.
Without another word, she ran into the bathroom. Within seconds, I heard the shower running and caught the hint.
Duh.
I ran as quickly as I could, trying not to touch anything. I didn't want to set this entire building on fire and kill everyone in it.
One dead body is good enough. I thought as I carefully climbed into the tub.
I submerged as much of my body under the cold stream of water and watched as the flames on my skin sizzled away, succumbing to the water.
Sookie left me only for a moment to get me a towel and handed it to me as I switched off the water, stepping out from the tub.
"We'll get to what that was later." she said. "Right now we have a very hungry baby vamp who is healing as we speak and a wounded pregnant-"
Suddenly, there was a crash right outside the bathroom.
"Vampire." we said simultaneously, mentally hearing them as we ran into the living room as fast as we could.
Yes, the hungry vampire had probably managed to heal himself entirely and he still posed just as much danger as he did when he woke up. But we both knew that a hungry vampire loose on the streets will cause far more damage than one trapped in this apartment with us.
Oh sugar.
I couldn't help but sigh with relief the moment I saw Eric's face. As cold and angry as the look plastered on his face was, I welcomed it, hell I welcomed him. If I didn't have such a huge ego, I might even kiss his feet right at this very moment.
"Talk about perfect timing." Sookie said nearly breathless, relief stretched across her face.
Eric gripped the newborn's throat within his grasp as he held him in the air right outside of the apartment.
"I don't want to know what the fuck you two were doing with this." he growled. "At the moment." he added as he watched me. "But someone needs to invite me in now so that I can tame this fucker."
I gripped the towel tightly, now feeling somewhat shy as Sookie invited Eric in.
"Tell me your kids aren't here with the two of you." he growled as he secured the newborn to one of the arm chairs with the duct tape we got for packing.
"Of course they're not here with us!" Sookie exclaimed as she ran a hand over her face. "This wasn't suppose to happen."
"And why are you naked?" he asked me, ignoring Sookie's hysterics.
I shrugged, taking a seat on the furthest chair away from the hungry vampire as I held my palm to my throat. "My naked body will have to be explained later." I said. "Right now, I'm kind of bleeding. I mean he took a piece of my neck out when he bit into me."
Sookie gasped, "Isabelle, I'm so sorry!" she cried, falling before me. "Everything happened so fast, I-"
Eric growled as he sat next to me, glaring at Sookie. "What about you? Did he bite you too?" he asked.
"No." She shook her head. "I have to call home." she said, now stumbling to her feet as she ran back down the hall.
Eric moved my hand so that he could measure how much damage the newborn had done. Without a word, he slit his wrist, pressing it to my mouth. I hesitated but gave in immediately as I drank his blood.
"You should see a doctor. He might've harmed the baby." Eric said through gritted teeth.
After a moment, I pulled away. "The baby is fine. I landed on him, thank goodness, so he cushioned my fall." I said softly. "Thank you."
"What the fuck are you two doing with a newborn?" he hissed as he stood to his feet. "Are you two trying to kill yourselves?"
I looked down at my feet and bit my lip. "We didn't know he was here until just recently."
Like hell am I admitting to anyone that my initial thought was…zombie instead of the obvious.
"That still doesn't explain why you're here in New Orleans."
Sookie emerged slowly, "This is or was my cousins apartment. We came here to pack up her things."
Eric slowly turned in her direction, "So who made him?"
Obviously he knew Sookie's cousin has been dead for awhile now.
"That's the thing." I said. "The witch downstairs cast a spell, freezing time here in place." I told him.
"The spell broke when we arrived last night." Sookie added when she realized where I was heading with this.
I nodded in agreement. "It took a long while before everything here caught up with time."
"And then when I found him, I didn't know he was a vampire. I thought he was just…dead." Sookie admitted, pressing her lips together, suppressing her smile.
I flushed immediately. Blame Hollywood. I mentally groaned.
He turned to the baby vampire who sat there in his birthday suit.
And what a birthday suit it is.
"You have no idea who this is?" he asked us and we shook our heads in response. "Sookie, I need to speak with the witch." he said. "Maybe she will know more about this."
Wait, don't leave me alone with them.
"I'll be gone no more than two minutes. Eric will keep you safe." she mentally told me as she quickly left.
Yeah…but who will keep me safe from Eric and his condemning stare?
I stood up slowly, clenching the towel closed. "I think I should put on some clothes."
"If you take longer than five minutes, I'm coming in after you." he warned me.
I didn't care what I grabbed, I didn't care if it didn't match. I quickly slipped into my pajama pants and a tank top, the first things my hands touched. I didn't bother with my undies either. I just wanted to get in and out before my time was up. I didn't want to give Eric an excuse to be alone in here with me.
When I emerged, the witch was sitting across from the newborn with a sad look across her face.
Fudge.
"Are you okay?" Amelia asked the moment she saw me in an apologetic tone.
I nodded. "I'm okay now."
"I fucked up." she said softly, on the verge of tears. "I didn't know about Jake being up here." she said, glancing between Sookie and I. "I swear it!" she pleaded, eyes resting on Eric.
"Your spell nearly got these two killed." he said bitterly. "And one of them are with child, not to mention the simple fact that if something had happened to them, that would leave four kids orphaned."
Jeez.
Tears slowly streaked down her face, "I'm sorry!" she cried, turning to me. "Believe me, I would trade places if I could!"
I sighed, taking a seat next to her. "You didn't know. Its not your fault." I said. "But someone turned him before you cast the spell."
"Hadley." Sookie said. "That would explain some of the mess I found in her bathroom."
Amelia's face hardened. "Jake didn't deserve this. No matter what reason." she hissed as she stared at the newborn across of her. "Fucking whore." she blurted.
"Now that we know who this is, I will have to call the queen and report this." Eric said, taking a step outside of the apartment.
"Did he hurt you?" Amelia asked the moment the door closed behind Eric. "I can take you to the hospital." she insisted.
"Lucky for us he only bit one of us." I said. "Of course I had to be the lucky one." I told her, turning my neck so that she could see the red mark that was left after my wound healed. "It hurted too, but not for long."
She grabbed my hand, "I am in debt to the both of you." she said, glancing over to Sookie who was worrying what Alcide will do when he finds out what just happened. "I cant believe you both managed to survive this attack." she said softly. "But this isn't like Jake. He is really a nice guy…" she stopped, glancing over at him. "…or was."
"So you know him?" I asked, steering off the subject, slightly.
She nodded, gazing at him. "Sure do. Quite a treat to look at too." then she shivered. "Well…when he's not like this." then she gasped, "Oh my god, what's going to happen to him?"
I shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."
"Alcide is going to kill me." Sookie whispered.
After less than five minutes, Eric returned. Ten minutes later, we heard a car pull up and two vampires entered, taking Jake with them. Within that time, Amelia went home.
She don't need additional scrutiny from Eric tonight.
All that was left was the three of us. And of course, I had some explaining to do. But to be perfectly honest, I didn't know where to begin. So I explained the best that I could about what happened.
Believe me, this was the first for me. Never have I ever been consumed entirely by the fire.
But that shit saved not only my life but the life of my unborn child too.
"How did you get here so quickly?" I asked Eric.
I didn't have to ask him how he knew where to find me. We had exchanged blood for this particular reason.
"I flew." he simply said in a matter of fact way.
"Okay…but how did you get here in time? Shreveport is hours away."
"I've been in town."
Stalker.
Sookie smiled at me as she softly laughed.
"Well isn't that convenient." I said almost sarcastically.
He narrowed his eyes to me, "I have business with the queen, if you must know."
"If you don't mind, I'm mentally and physically exhausted." Sookie said. "Thank you Eric for coming to our rescue." she said. "Feels just like the old days." she added before disappearing down the hall.
"The two of you are magnets to danger, you know that." he stated as he shook his head. "I was right to insist on the bond."
I rolled my eyes at him, "What do you want to hear? You were right?" I groaned. "Because you are. If it wasn't for the blood bond, we would be dead. So thank you, a million times, thank you."
For a while, we stayed in our corners of the living room in silence. Then Eric stood to his feet to sit down next to me.
I knew I should've moved to one of those arm chairs.
"Its been almost two months since we spoke last." he said low. "Have you even thought about what I had said?"
I frowned at him, "I thought about it and I thought about it some more." I said. "But…" I paused, biting at my lip. "…things have gotten a lot more rocky since."
"Bella, I wouldn't be suggesting this if I didn't think-"
"Gabrielus, or Gabe, as you know him. Anyways, he's Dominic's brother." I blurted. "His older brother, actually. I just found out not too long ago and I'm pissed."
He stared at me blankly. I may not be able to read vampire minds but I know body language and became familiar with their facial expressions.
Or more like, lack of.
If I didn't know any better, this was a surprise to even him.
"And the story twists yet another knot." he stated.
I snorted, "Oh you have no idea." I groaned. "And the plot thickens." I said, entertaining his imagination. "Remember those notes? The ones I thought was from my ex's pixie bitch?" he just nodded. "I found out that he was behind that too."
He cocked a brow to me, "Why would he threaten you?"
I shrugged, "Fuck do I know." I hissed. "I haven't confronted him just yet. In fact, I don't even want to." I admitted, finally. "You don't know how badly I want to pack up and leave town with my girls and just say 'fuck it' to the two brothers."
"But you wouldn't. You wont leave not knowing what his true intentions are."
It made me wonder if Eric knew more than what he was letting off. I mean, he was the one who said that he met Gabrielus before. In fact, he was the reason why Eric chose to live in Shreveport.
Creepy doesn't even cover it.
Of course, before I could comment, Eric's phone rings. He answers it immediately.
"I will be there as soon as possible." he said after a moment. Then he hung up, closing his phone shut. He turned to me, "I have some place that I need to be." he said, standing to his feet. "I'm going to give this apartment a sweep over, just to be sure that its safe." he told me with a smirk. "And then I'll be going."
I nodded, watching him. "Okay."
"I will check on you tomorrow evening." he said. "When are you two going back?"
If Alcide shows up tonight? Probably tonight.
I shrugged, "I really don't know."
He nodded, placing his phone in his back pocket. "Well keep me updated. You know my number." he said. "I want to be there to accompany you back to Bon Temps." he said before leaving me alone in the living room.
Oh sugar.
A/N: So did anyone expect that? Are you curious as to how I will put my own twist to the story? :)) Waiting truly does suck! Thanks for reading!
