First a short chapter, now a long one. :D
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I hope you enjoy, I think my small writers block is gone now and the story is slowly unfolding in my head. ;)
14.
I paced the floor while Alcide tried to fix the door as best as he could. I chewed on my thumb, thinking, trying to figure this mess out.
"There. That will at least hold it in place." Alcide breathed and looked at the door, securely locked at last.
"What if it wasn't Raven." I whispered, stopping dead in my tracks. Alcide sat down in the chair by the worn down coffee table.
"What?"
"What if it wasn't Raven who sent Debbie and the others." I turned and looked at Alcide, not quite sure what to make of this thought. Alcide's eyes grew dark and angry.
"Eric?" He said through gritted teeth and I nodded meekly.
"He has no reason to...hate me. But...my disease is lethal to him. And one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Eric likes to be in control of everything that is unknown to him. And...the human girl at Fangtasia told me he's been talking about me to another vampire. Not Raven, she described him as an old friend from Bon Temps. Do you know anyone there?" The girl had claimed Eric has spoken fondly of me, but how could I be sure? Alcide shook his head.
"No...my father has done some work there and I've only been there once on a job, but I don't know anyone. I didn't know a vampire resided there, that's for sure." Alcide stood up and walked over to me, gently cupping my face.
"Don't do anything stupid now, Ashlyn. I see your eyes twinkle and I am pretty sure that means a plan is forming in your head." He smiled gently and my thoughts drifted to the morning in bed. My cheeks flushed lightly.
"Alcide, you were assigned to be my bodyguard. I think I'm safe, no matter what I do." I said, smiling crookedly.
"What are you planning, missy." Alcide grumbled teasingly.
"We need to take a road trip. To Bon Temps."
Before the sun had gotten the chance to set we had eaten, packed our bags and gotten our travel gear on. I wore a pair of jeans, black boots and a moss-green turtleneck. Alcide wore his torn jeans, brown boots and a brown, checkered flannel shirt. We decided to take Alcide's pick-up as mine was familiar to Raven. I got my folded knife from my purse and put it in my jeans pocket.
"A knife?" Alcide asked darkly, the seriousness in the situation drew a heavy blanket over us.
"My best chance of survival if I'm cornered by a vampire. It worked perfectly the last time we ran in to Raven." I said before grabbing his hand.
"And with you by my side I have no doubt, I am safe." I whispered, smiling up at him.
"I won't let anyone hurt you." Alcide said softly, kissing my forehead.
We got in to the truck, savoring the last minutes of the sun on the horizon.
"Why not talk to Eric straight away?" Alcide asked as he started the rumbling engine.
"Because I don't know if Eric can be trusted. Frankly, right now, after the visit of your...friends, I trust Eric about as far as I can throw him. And while on that matter..." I turned in my seat, eyeing him with a crooked smile.
"Who is Debbie and...did you date her?" I asked, seeing a flush run over his cheeks.
"Well...Debbie and I were...involved at a time. It was not my brightest moment." He said. His eyes looked heavier, almost sad.
"For what it's worth I'm glad you got out of that. She didn't seem like a good match at all." I said, gently touching his arm. Alcide smiled gently.
"Join the locals at Merlotte's, Bon Temps favorite diner. There's nothing like a long weekend road trip to immerse yourself in Louisiana music, sampling the state's sonic riches." I grinned, reading from the official Bon Temps homepage on my laptop.
"Sounds like a place to start, don't you think?" I glanced over at Alcide who's eyes were fixed on the bumpy parish road heading in to Bon Temps.
"Indeed. Merlotte's is famous for its beer and...interesting locals I guess. Hard to believe it never struck me that vampires were part of those interesting locals." He said with a crooked, slightly cold grin.
"Bon Temps, everybody wants a taste." I huffed and shook my head.
"Even the town title says it all! Jeez, is the place swarming with vampires?"
"If it is then they sure know how to hide from...others." Alcide caught his tongue and his eyes flickered, as if he was about to say something else than what he did. I wrinkled my forehead, studying his features. There was something lurking under the surface and I made my mind up; I was going to figure him out.
"Oh, here it is, I think." Alcide said after minutes of silence and turned the car down a narrow, dusty road. Merlotte's Bar and grill was located in a simple brown building. The white and green neon sign lit up the surrounding dark woods. I took a deep breath as Alcide stopped the car and he looked at me.
"We don't have to do this." He said darkly.
"Yes we do. I've never let anything or anyone control my life. Whether it's Eric or Raven, I will not do the mistake of falling in to their traps. I've managed on my own all these years, it's not going to change now." I said as sturdily as I could. Though I was shaking on the inside I wasn't going to let that take control of me. I knew Raven and I was pretty sure he was behind this hunt for me, but I knew better than to leave any rock unturned. I opened the door and stepped outside.
"Come on. Let's see what we can find out."
The slow atmosphere in the bar didn't seem to match the sultry music of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Shreveport native musician. The blues based music made my hips tingle and my thoughts and eyes drifted to Alcide. Pulling him with me to the dance floor would just be perfect, hadn't it been for the constant threat on my life at the moment. The music was just low enough to be able to talk normally and when we entered it seemed the half full bar all turned their heads in our direction. Seeing nothing of special interest they turned back to their conversations and beers. Seeing no waitress we made our way to a booth by the window. The lights were dimmed and the red-domed lamp over us gave the dark brown wood interior an even eerier look. But it had character, I'd give it that. Everything you'd except from a small town, southern diner.
"Good evening and welcome to Merlotte's. What can I get you both this evenin'?" A tiny woman with fiery red hair walked up to us with a pad and a pen ready in her hand.
"Whatever you have on tap is fine." I said with a careful smile as she eyed me curiously. She nodded and turned to Alcide.
"Same." He said quickly and the waitress walked away, looking slightly unimpressed. I bit my lip, feeling slightly at a loss, not knowing what to do.
"What now?" Alcide leaned closer, looking at me, putting words to my thoughts.
"I'm not sure." I said with a sigh. A phone rang by the bar and I glanced over, seeing a man walk up to it. He wasn't wearing a uniform, like the waitress did, so I guessed he was the boss or something. He had ash-blonde hair, ruffled lightly with a beard to match. Or maybe it was more of an unshaved face.
"Merlotte's, this is Sam." I heard him say. He listened for a second before answering a question from the other end.
"No, Sookie's not working tonight." He grumbled and my ears pricked. That name!
"I dunno, she might drop by tonight, but I'm not sure." The man named Sam said goodbye and hung up the phone and I grabbed Alcide's hand.
"That name!" I hissed.
"W...what?" Alcide blinked in surprise.
"That man over by the phone said a name, Sookie and I think I've heard it before! At...Fangtasia! Yeah, Eric had company when I visited him and I think the blonde girl was named Sookie! That means she works here! And she was with another vampire that night, maybe that's the vampire friend of Eric's!" Alcide grabbed my hand.
"You need to lower your voice Ashlyn, you're starting to attract attention." He said lowly and I glanced quickly around me, noticing a few eyes drawing away. I took a deep sip of the beer and slid out of the seat.
"I'm going to find out more." I said lowly and before Alcide could protest I'd made my way to the bar.
"Hello there." Sam said, smiling at me as he grabbed a table cloth and wiped off the counter.
"Hi." I said and leaned against the counter.
"What can I get you miss?" Sam asked. He seemed to be a very charming man, with a crooked smile and a twinkle in his eye. Yet I felt the same hidden weirdness about him as with Alcide.
"I was hoping you could help me get in touch with Sookie." I said as casually as I could. Sam stopped and stared at me, the twinkle was gone from his eyes.
"What do you want with Sookie." He said, almost threateningly. I raised my hands.
"Relax, I just need her help." I said.
"With what?"
"I...think that's between Sookie and me. Unless you're her father I don't have to tell you anything." I said and shrugged my shoulders. Sam's cheeks flushed.
"Of course I'm not her father. I'll call her and ask if she can come down here. If she doesn't then I can't help you." Sam said and his tone told me that was the final word. I choked back a sigh.
"Fine."
Sam picked up the phone while keeping his narrow eyes at me.
"Sookie? It's Sam. No, you don't have to come in to work, but there's someone here who's asking for you. Could you come down? I'm not sending a stranger to your home." I couldn't here was Sookie said, but Sam's face grew dark with a flush that spread from his cheeks and down his neck. He turned away for a second.
"I know I don't have to look after you Sookie, but considering things I think it's only fear that I watch your back." I heard him mumble.
"Fine. See you soon." He grumbled and hung up. He turned back to me and I smiled cheekily.
"She'll be here soon." Sam said and I nodded pleased.
"Thank you." I said with a grin before heading back to the table.
"Well?" Alcide asked curiously.
"She will be here soon. Then maybe I can find this friend of Eric's." I leaned back, enjoying my beer.
As the hours grew longer the bar slowly filled with the locals. I especially enjoyed the black girl at the bar, her sassy attitude and sharp comebacks at the rude, drunken guests made me grin.
After an hour and a half I was growing tired of the waiting game.
"This is taking too long." I huffed and pulled my fingers through my hair. I noticed a slight tremble in them as I did. Not good.
"I need to go to the bathroom. I need to check…you know what." I said and looked at Alcide. A worried look made his face darken.
"Don't worry so much." I said with a light smile before getting the black box out of my small bag I'd brought inside, containing box, money, ID and cell phone. And knife, let's not forget that.
"Be right back." I said and slipped out from the red leather seat.
"Keep an eye out for a blonde and dove-eyed one." I hurried through the stone arch-way next to the bar, heading down the hall towards the customer bathrooms. It was located next to a locked storage room and what seemed to be an office. I slipped in to one of the stalls and quickly got out my instruments. I could do this blindfolded by now. The light tremble in my hand made me nervous, never had the poison accelerated as fast as this before, not before coming to Shreveport at least. It had its ups and downs, but usually there were days between the highs and that was usually on one of the worst days! I stared at the white strip now, anxiously waiting for the result. When it showed 19 I was ready to pass out. This was not normal. This was…I stiffened as my skin prickled lightly. I quickly tucked away the instruments, flushed the strip down in the toilet and washed my hands, making sure the tiny prick on my finger was gone. Which it was. I tend to heal faster than normal. Oh, the paradox.
I carefully opened the door and felt a rush of tingles run down my spine. Indeed, a vampire was here. I stepped outside and for a second thought I had been wrong. But then I saw him. The back of him at least. He was lean and tall, his thin, grey cotton shirt hid a slender but muscular back. His dark brown, tussled hair lay perfectly, yet slightly in a mess on his head. I wasn't able to stop myself. I walked slowly up behind him and naturally, before I could do anything he noticed me. He turned his head, scarily slow and his nostrils flared. He dull, brown eyes met mine and it was like he knew. He just watched me as my hand automatically lifted and three fingers touched his bare, slightly hairy lower arm. The rush of relief flooded me and I thanked my lucky star. For once, a vampire who fought the instinct of ripping my head off at sight. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for his minx of a girlfriend.
"Hey! Get your hands of Bill!" A thick Louisiana accent said and I barely managed to lift my eyes to look at the blondie from Fangtasia. She was staring furiously at me, with her hands on her hips like she owned the place.
"It's alright Sookie. She has to." Bill the vampire said calmly and his slow accented voice was just as healing has the touch of his skin.
"Hey, you're that sassy girl from Fangtasia." Sookie said, raising an eyebrow at me.
"I believe I am. And I believe this is Eric's vampire friend?" I said and looked up at Bill. My blood felt poison free for now, so I let go.
"Ashlyn, are you okay?" Alcide came in to view in the archway and now he looked from me to Bill.
"I thought I smelled dog." Bill said and grinned crookedly. That was the second time someone had called Alcide 'dog'. I was starting to take it personally. Or he should, if he smelled that bad! I walked over to Alcide, just in case, putting something in between the vampire and Alcide, yours truly.
"So, you are the one who needed to see me?" Sookie asked, still all hands-on-hips and attitude.
"Actually, I needed to talk with him." I said and nodded in Bill's direction. His eyes seemed to wake up and his back straightened.
"How may I help you?" He asked.
"Maybe we should sit down." I said and without delay I headed back to our table by the window, in the back of the diner. I felt Sookie scrutinize me the entire time while we got seated, Alcide and myself on one side and Sookie and Bill on the other.
"Are you a vampire?" Sookie all of a sudden asked, her eyebrows threatening to crawl all the way down in to her eyes.
"What?" I stuttered.
"Sookie!" Bill chastised. Sookie shrugged her shoulders.
"I can't read your thoughts. Are you a vampire?" Her words left me gaping.
"Okay…first of all; you can read minds? And second of all; no, I am very much human." I wasn't sure to be flattered or insulted. Sookie looked more surprised than one caught with her hand in the cookie jar did.
"And I would appreciate it if you kept your…mind-reading abilities shut off, you have no business probing mine or anyone else's head." My words left her dumbstruck and silent. Thank God. I turned my attention to Bill, sitting across from me.
"Now, I know you have been talking with Eric. About me. Correct?" I asked. Straight forward as always. Bill seemed to ponder the thought for a minute.
"Correct." He finally answered darkly.
"Then you know about my…issue." He nodded once.
"I need to know Bill, can I trust Eric?" My question seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked and leaned back against his seat.
"Eric is the sheriff of Area 5, there is no reason not to trust him." He said simply. I chose to ignore Sookie's huff.
"Three people showed up at….my apartment this morning, claiming they had been sent to catch me and bring me to whoever sent them. Now, I know for a fact that there is one vampire who wants me dead, only he knows he can't kill me, not the old fashioned way at least. I have every reason to believe that this vampire sent those people to collect me. But I know Eric, if not well, but I know he craves to control anything and everything that is not known to him and that can benefit him in any way." In the corner of my eye I noticed Sookie going pale and her eyes flickered nervously. So, Eric knew about her abilities as well then.
"I need allies and I need many. If the vampire, known as Raven, has set out to catch me then I know that I am in mortal danger. So tell me. Can I trust Eric?" I ground my teeth together, feeling the urgency in the matter lace the air around us.
"Even better." Sookie said and she all of a sudden reached out her hand and grabbed mine. Her eyes fixed on mine.
"You can trust us."