Chapter 28
Niall's POV
"You called me?" I hear behind me.
I turn to see my faithful servant, Claude, standing in the doorway. He calls me grandfather. I call him an example of the life I've lead. Yes, he is biologically my grandson. But in our world, that means very little. I had bedded his grandmother years before and the result of our couplings was his mother. His grandmother was a fiery woman with ambition that rivaled my own. She wanted much more than her station would permit. She wished to have the world and would do anything to get it.
Lorca was of my clan. I had known her since she was young. She never hid the fact that she wanted to be mated to a powerful Fae. She saw me and my brother's as such suitable men. But I had already been promised to the Princess, well, soon to be Queen. I had hoped that she would find more suitable mates. She made it known that she didn't care who I was promised too. She would have me.
She made good on her promise. The night before my bond, she came to me and I took her. I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong. She smiled at me as I left her home that morning. It was a smile that I came to love and hate over time. It meant everything and nothing all in the same gesture. When I would see that smile in years to come, I would know that Lorca would be getting what she wanted. No matter the cost incurred.
I should have never chosen her as my concubine. But something kept me going back to her. Something kept pulling back to her arms. To this day, I've no idea what that thing was. She was nothing like my beloved queen. It still pains me to even say her name. Her death, even after all this time still weighs heavy on my heart. Perhaps that is my punishment for the life I chose to lead and the pain I inflicted on my mate.
The Sky Fae being a matriarch society meant that my Queen actually holds the throne. As her husband and consort, it was in her rights to make me her King. For reasons I still don't understand, she didn't make any such decree. Well, if truth be told, I know why. She never trusted me with her throne or her heart. She made that very clear to me after the ceremony. She somehow knew about Lorca. She knew I had bedded her the night before our bond. She all but told me. But the question was who told her. Regardless, once we were bonded, I became Niall Brigant, taking her clan name as was the custom.
She did her duty as my mate and gave me two beautiful sons, twins; Fintan and Dermot. The day they arrived was one of the most wondrous of my long life. I had hoped that their arrival would go a long way to benefit our relationship. She bedded me only during her cycle after the births of the boys. She was required to give her lineage a female to take her place on the throne. After several tries and several deaths, my Queen chose to stop trying.
Our heartache didn't stop there. Dermot perished in battle. My Queen blamed me as it was on my orders that he rode out. He went to Summerland just before my Queen. Fintan was my only link to her now.
My Son never forgave me for the death of his mother. How could he, I still can't. But I've more important things to attend to than dealing with foolish emotions. I've a realm to protect, a crown to keep and a future to solidify.
"There are things changing in the human realm. Council met regarding Vampire monarchies and treason among their own kind and made several decisions." I say to him. "One of their Queens is being brought up charges of treason against the Council."
He shrugs. "Since when have you cared about Vampire dealings?"
I shake my head. "That is what I thought as well," I say and throw the decree that I just received across the desk. "Until this was sent to me after the meeting."
Claude picks it up and reads it.
"I still don't understand why this concerns you," he says. "So what do you care if Eric the Northman has been named Regent of some area in the Southeast of America? Vampire politics are just that. You've told me time and time again that the only reason you care about the Council is to keep your abreast of what they know and what they think of the Fae. This has no bearing on us whatsoever."
I nod again. "I do. But there is something…." I look out the window. "Something about this concerns me," I turn back to him. "Have you heard from Preston?" I ask. "He should have found out information about that telepath."
"Niall, after all this time," he pauses. "Do you really think them stupid enough to allow her to be found by a crazy Vampire Queen?" He asks me.
I shake my head. "I don't know," he says. "But what I do know is that prophecies were made over a millennium ago. Certain things are coming to pass. I need more information." I look out the window again. "I need a witch or a seer. I need to find out more."
"Sire," he says. "You've met with every seer in our realm. They all say the same thing. The Prophecy is incomplete. Without all the information, they can't tell you what…"
I spin around on him and the look in my eyes stops him cold. "I care NOT for the incompetent fools you've sent me! Do you not realize that my Great Granddaughter is the only creature who can stop our world from collapsing! If Breandan finds her before we do, all will be lost for us."
"But Sire, Fintan…"
I push my hand against the desk which sends it flying across the room. "You have never understood, have you?" I shout again. "Fintan will do anything and everything to destroy my monarchy. He knows that little girl could appoint me king. He knows that any child she may have will continue my dear sweet Queen's legacy. Without her, the line is lost. Without her, Breandan could approach the Council and have me removed."
"Niall," he says with a careful tone in his voice. "If that was the case, he would have done it ages ago."
I wave off his statement. "That is because he thought he could find her before me. He thought he could convince her to take his side."
Claude shakes his head. "Niall, Breandan wouldn't…."
I wave him off again. "Something is changing. I can feel it. My granddaughter is close to the Viking Vampire. I can feel it. It fits the prophecy. Are you trying to be obtuse or are you in league with Breandan as well?"
"Naill, I've always been on your side. No matter what, I've been faithful." He says.
I hadn't realized I had made it across the room and had him up off his feet. I lower him and move back to the windows. I love and hate looking out the window of my office. It overlooks the silver lake. It was her favorite place to sit and read. I would spend hours at my window watching her.
"You can…after all this time? You can feel her again?" He asks bringing me back to the here and now.
I nod. "It happen so subtly, I almost missed it." I start pacing back and forth in front of the window. I can't seem to get it across to anyone how dire this is. We need to find her. Every time I've gotten close, they've made her disappear. But not this time, I can feel it. If I don't find her, if Breandan finds her before me, all will be lost. Desperate times call for desperate measures. My I will need to use everything at disposal to bring her to us. If I don't, nothing else will matter.
I look to Claude. "I need a powerful seer. Go to the other realms if you must, but find me one that can see everything and tell me the whole prophecy." I pause. This next step is one I never wished to take. But now is not the time squabble over things like morality. "Contact the Borok," I say to them.
He looks shocked. "You can't be serious," He says.
"I'm deadly serious. If we are to fight more than one front of the war, I need creatures who are trained for war. I need warriors that can win."
He shakes his head again. "But Sire, the Borok? Their leader is cut throat and full of greed. What could you possibly offer him that will entice him to fight for you?"
I sigh looking back out the window. "They are without children, are they not?" I ask Claude; already knowing the answer. I turn back to look at him. The fear and pain on his face is palatable.
He shakes his head. "No, you can't…."
I put my hand up. "I will offer him a fertile bride if he stands with me. She will have a child to fulfill the prophecy. That child, I'll keep. He can have her and do with her what he desires. She will give his people power heirs. It will be a good and prosperous union."
Claude looks shocked. Then a look of fear rolls over him once more.
"Do not look at me that way!" I scream. "If Fintan had brought her to us when she first showed signs of her powers, we would have trained her to be the heir she was intended to be. Fintan may not have wanted the crown. But by stepping away from me, he left the door open to Breandan. My Queen's brother will stop at nothing to regain the crown. Without Fintan, his son or granddaughter by my side, all will be lost!"
"But…but Niall, you can't han…hand her over to the Borok."
I growl at him. "Do as you are told!"
A moment later, he bows to me. "As you wish," he says and pops from the room.
I turn to look over the fireplace at the last painting made of my sweet Queen. That portrait gives me pleasure and pain every day of my existence.
"I will do what I must," I say softly. "You would have done the same."
***0***
Claude's POV
I popped out of his office and land in my own.
Pacing back and forth, I go over everything he said. Centuries ago, I thought him to be vigilant and cunning. Now, well, now I think he is either senile, delusional, paranoid or a combination of all three.
"What the hell am I going to do now?" I ask no one in particular.
Just then, the door opens. I turn to see who dares come in unannounced. I should have known. I roll my eyes as I watch my sister walk in. The day just keeps getting better and better.
"What's going on?" She asks me as she continues in without being invited. "I can feel your anxiety from clear across the castle. What has gotten you in such a state?"
I look at her. One of my sister's many gifts is the ability to sense feelings. I hate when she tries to sense mine. I just, well she's my sister. I don't need her to feel what I'm feeling.
I shake my head. Now is not the time to go head to head with her about invading my emotions. There are better things we need to deal with.
"I…I've just came from Niall's office. He's ordered me to contact the Borok."
She looks at me with disbelief. Slowly, she sets herself down in one of the chairs in front of my desk.
I nod. "That is exactly how I felt."
"Claude, why…" she sighs. "Why would he think that the Borok….."
I put my hand up to stop her. "He is going to offer him the girl once she gives Niall an heir."
Claudine jumps up. "You can't be serious!" She screams.
"Lower your voice," I growl at her. "He may be in another wing, but do you think he doesn't have spies listening to everything that is said in this castle."
She shakes her head. "Why the Borok? Why now?" She asks.
I sigh. "He feels her again," I pause. "Eric the Northman has just been made Regent of the Louisiana Territory and he fears that she is with him."
She shrugs. "So," she says. "We both know that Vampire. He should have been a monarch centuries ago."
I had to agree with her there. The Northman was an excellent warrior, a fierce strategist and built for ruling.
"He believes that he is the only logical choice for the prophecy. The man is desperate and will do anything to hold onto the throne."
She shakes her head. "That's impossible. The Viking is over a thousand years old, Claude. If she was meant for him, he would have found her ages ago." She swats her hand in the air. "The old man is running after smoke."
"Will you PLEASE keep those thoughts to yourself!" I growl at her. "You are likely to get us both killed with talk like that."
"Oh, come on, Claude," she huffs. "You have to admit this is a little out there."
I shake my head. "You know the part of the prophecy that we've been told. He thinks Fintan's heir to be close to the Vampire. He always suspected Northman, I think. What other Vampire do you know would fit the description?"
She shakes her head. "So, he can feel her?" I nod. "He thinks that Northman becoming Regent has brought her out of hiding?"
I nod again. "There were rumors of a telepath in Louisiana. The Queen's court was all abuzz about it. We sent Preston to find out if it was true and if she is indeed who he thinks she is. He hasn't returned and from what information I've gotten through people at Council, Sophie-Anne is being sequestered. She is about to be charged and Northman will be put in her place. He will have one of the largest areas in that country to rule over. The prophecy states that she will be tied to a King."
Claudine is silent for a moment and the looks up at me. "Does Niall know this?" She asks.
I nod. "I would assume so," I say. "He is on the Council. But the point is, Preston hasn't returned with any kind of information. Council representatives have taken the compound and Northman has been named Regent. Preston should have been back as soon as the compound was taken; with or without information. A Fae masquerading as a shifter in the Queen's court would meet his end before the night was through."
She looks concerned. "Do you think…" she shakes her head. "Could he…would he…He wouldn't go to Breandan, would he?"
I shrug. "You would know better than I." I say to my sister. "You've spent a century with him in your bed. Would he switch sides if it meant he would get more out of the deal?"
She sends daggers through her eyes at me. "What you mean to say is, would he go to Breandan if he was offered the girl?" She asks. "You think the thought of having a fae-goddess touched child would be reason enough to leave my bed? To leave Niall?"
I shrug. "Breandan needs a child just as much as Niall. If he thought he could sire the answer to the prophecy, do you think he would change camps?"
She jumps up and begins pacing the room. "What makes you think that Preston would agree to such a thing?" She asks. "We have two children together why would you think…."
"Because, dear sister," I say and lean against the desk. "When we ordered him to the Vampire court, he asked Niall to be the one to give her his seed. He offered to hand over all rights to the child to Niall in exchange for becoming head of his guard." I wait a moment until what I've said sinks in.
"Why…why wouldn't you tell me this before? You sent him to court. Does…Does that mean Niall agreed?"
I shake my head. "Niall said that for the prophecy to come to pass, she had to find her Promise. That he wasn't it. Preston argued that any child from her lineage would be good enough. Niall still refused saying that Preston's line was not, well…"
"What!" She screams. "Preston isn't of a regal line?" She asks. I nod at her. "So," she begins pacing again. "He was good enough for me, his other granddaughter but not for the precious fruit of his Fintan!"
"Claudine, you need to calm down," I say to her.
She looks at me. "How can you tell me to calm down? He gave me Preston. I didn't ask for him, he gave him to me and told me it was my time to increase our numbers. Now I find out that both the man I've bedded for a hundred years and the man I call grandfather think I'm beneath his precious little prophecy girl!"
I push away from the desk and grab her arm. She spins away from me. It's evident that she wishes to stay angry. But anger and pettiness isn't going to help us now.
"Claudine that is not the problem here." I say to her.
She laughs slightly. "Oh, then what is the problem?" Crossing her arms in front of her and stops.
"The problem is, Niall thinks he can hold onto the crown with this 'prophecy girl' as you call her."
She shakes her head. "Claude, he's thought that for a thousand years."
I nod again. "Yes, but now he's willing to use seers, witches and the Borok to save his crown," I pause. "Claudine, I think he's going mad. If Breandan wanted too…
She holds up her hand. "Breandan was banished after the Civil Wars."
I nod. "But that was with the stipulation that Fintan or one of his heirs would take up the crown. Keeping the lineage going from the Queen. Since Fintan disappeared…"
She shakes her head. "Fintan disappeared almost a millennium ago. If Breandan wanted to take over…."
I shake my head again. Going to the far wall, I move a portrait of me and my sisters to the side. Behind it, is my safe. I pass my hand over the door and I hear it click open. I take out a file and hand it to Claudine.
"This the decree from Breandan's banishment," I say as she opens it and reads it.
She looks up at me. "You're kidding?" She asks. "This is…Why wouldn't he tell us?"
I shrug. "Because he didn't think it would take this long? Because he didn't want to think of it; who knows. But there are only three copies of that decree still in existence. Niall has one, Council has one and I have one."
She looks up at me. "How did you get a copy?" She asks.
"Mother had it," I say to her. She looks shocked. "I know. I couldn't believe it either. But be that as it may. This," I point to the file, "could be the reason Niall is now so crazed."
She shakes her head. "So, Niall had a thousand years to solidify the lineage. If a true Brigant heir was not on the throne by then, Breandan who is next in line from the Queen could contest Niall's rights?"
I nod to her. "Now you see why I'm worried?"
She sighs. "What are we going to do?"
I shake my head. That is the question.
***0***
SPOV
Since we didn't have any more time to talk, we collect the items and made our way downstairs. Stefan informs Octavia that her request is being carried out and that he will inform her when the rocks have been placed where they need to be.
As we come down the stairs, I hear her before I see her. Several of the guards are in the front hall and I can tell that others are near the front door, the gate and several are walking around the grounds. But even without trying, I can hear the decorator. My, Crystal Norris is she a loud broadcaster.
Doing the Sheriff's house, shit this could be exactly what I need after the disaster with the Queen. Oh shit, wait a minute. He was announced the Regent last night. What the hell is going on in the Vampire community? Damn it, I knew I should have called Alcide before I came over here. He could have told me.
Okay so at the very least she knows about Supes. But I can tell that she's one of the Weres. Whether she's part of Alcide's pack I'm not sure. I can tell that she's not wolf, though. She seems to be feline. Panther, she's a panther. I'm about to shut my shields up when she continues.
This is going to be awesome for my reputation. I hope this girl he has me meeting isn't some bimbo that wants leopard prints and dancing poles in the living room. God, that would be…Oh shit there she is.
I paste my crazy smile on my face and walk up to her. "Ms. Norris, I'm Susannah Brigant. Thank you so much for coming all this way. I understand that you live in New Orleans?" I hold my hand out to her.
Did…did she just say Brigant? Oh SHIT!
"I…I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Brigant." She looks a little hesitant to take my hand. "Please, call me Crystal." She says.
I smile at her. "Please, everyone calls me Sookie." I say to her. "But I would appreciate it if you would keep my name to yourself. At least until Eric and I can go public, you know."
Shit, shit shit…what have I gotten myself in to? Christ, I need this job and Alcide said it was okay. He wouldn't put me in harm's way. Well not intentionally and he's been working for Northman for a while. I heard that she's got the protection of every pack around. The edict came down from the Council themselves. Something about her helping with something. But they said her name was Stackhouse, not Brigant. So…okay Crystal get a grip, you're a professional and this mansion and this…what the hell is she…um…well anyway, she needs your help to make it grand. You have heard the rumors about Northman. You don't want to make an enemy out of him or this sweet little girl. Well, at least she looks sweet.
"Crystal, there is a lot going on in the supe community. It would be best if you didn't tell anyone you are working with me until after we return form Kentucky." I say to her. "I know you don't owe fealty to us or anything but…"
She puts up her hand. "Sookie, you have been offered protection of the pack. I've known Alcide for a very long time. My father and his had an agreement before he took up his position on the Council. If you have his protection, you have mine. Of course, I won't say a word." She says and looks around. "This estate is beautiful."
I smile. "I know, it's just breathtaking, isn't it?" I wave my hand around. "I was truly in awe when I first laid eyes on it." I turn to look at her. "I want to keep it in the style that it is but with a little more elegance. I think it would really be beautiful."
I motion for her to follow me into the kitchen. "That sounds lovely Sookie. I've already done the kitchen and the master suite, do you like them?" She asks.
I nod. "Oh, I love both of them." I say to her. "I have some ideas for the rest of the house and I would love to have your input on it." I laugh. "I've never decorated an entire house before and I want to do it justice. This is Eric's show place and I want it to reflect not only who he is but his station in his and my world."
We spend the next hour going over colors and styles. Crystal shows me fabrics and patterns for everything from upholstery to curtains. I ask for input from Vivi and Amelia about their guesthouses and then from Octavia for one of the guest rooms. She feels that she should be closer to me and will opt to stay in one of the rooms on the second floor.
The servant's quarters are back behind the kitchen as well as over the massive garage. I convince Sally May to tell Crystal what she would like and we decide to do the rest of the suites and the other rooms in neutral colors and patterns. Not hotel neutral but calm and elegant enough to appeal to just about anyone.
I still haven't thought about help yet and I know that I will need to do that soon. No way can I clean this whole house myself and I know that Eric will insist that we get help. With him being the new Regent, he will have a lot to do. I may not know exactly the life a Vampire monarch leads. But I've been trained for this life for over a thousand years. Couple his duties with the fact that we are going to have a child, there will be little time for housework and food shopping. Especially if we start to have all these people here, Sally May will need help in the kitchen.
All these things are flying around my head when Crystal is telling me about wing back chairs and Parnin desks.
We start talking about the rest of the house. I know Gran's taste and do the other little house on the estate in warm, natural colors with a lot of greens and blues for the grass and water. I saw the plans for the house and I must say it is very cute.
The guardhouse and the back security station on the other side of our expansive lake will all be done in neutral colors as well since they will be housing the guards. I doubt the Weres are going to care about wainscoting and paisley prints.
"Okay, so Alcide informed me that you will be out of the house for a few days." Crystal says.
I nod. "Yes, we will be gone for the rest of the week and probably into early next week." I say to her.
"That's good. I can get the painters in and get that started. We should be well on the way by the time you get back." She says.
Amelia hands her a card with my email address on it. I look at her. "Eric gave it to me." She says as an answer.
Amelia faces Crystal. "This is how you can get in touch with Susannah while she's away. Or you can contact me," she says.
I look at her. "Vivi is going with you and I'm staying behind to true up some things in New Orleans and get Octavia and I settled." She says. "No reason I can't field some things for you from here." She smiles. "Don't worry, we will both be there for Kentucky."
I look at her for a moment. She really knows how to handle people like Crystal. I wonder if she would be willing to help me with more than just my gifts. I think I need to think on that later.
We say goodbye to Crystal as she promises to have sketches and designs for me by later today or tomorrow. She will email me anything she comes up with.
I smile and thank her again as she leaves.
Once gone, preparations started for our day of shopping. It seems that I will have my own entourage today. You would think I'm so big movie star or something by the way they are talking about cars and how many guards we will need to move us from one store to the next. I want to stomp my foot and say it isn't necessary. I want to tell them that nothing will hurt me at the mall. However, I think better of it and keep my mouth shut. Everyone is doing everything and anything to keep me safe. Though we know of Hallow, there are still so many unknowns out there; so many shadows that have followed me through the ages. Whether they are Fae or something else, I'm not sure. One thing is for sure, it was enough to hide me away for centuries and kill my parents.
No, I think I'm just going to keep quiet and let the security that Eric has put in place deal with things until we know exactly what we are up against. Until then, I will listen and do as I'm told.
"Lady Susannah, we are ready," Dalia says.
I smile at her. Octavia is planning to stay behind to rest. I saw a bed being brought up to her room for the time being. I will need to have something put in place for her while we are gone. I'm not sure if she is coming with us or staying here with Amelia when we meet up in Kentucky. I don't know if she really wants to get involved with Council stuff. I will need to talk to one or both of them once we return.
I walk out and see three large SUV's waiting in the driveway. I look at Stefan and raise an eyebrow.
"These were in Eric's fleet," he says. "We collected them this morning." He says.
Okay, Eric has a fleet of cars? Why on earth would he need a fleet and where in hell is he keeping them.
"These will be safe, I assure you, M'Lady."
"Um, how many people are coming with us?" I ask.
"Dalia and I are your personal guards," he begins. "We have another six that will be shadowing you and another four that will stay out of sight. There are eighteen guards on duty at the estate today. More will be coming in the next few days." He says.
I look at him and my mouth must be open because he sort of laughs.
"Come, My Lady, let's get you in the car." Dalia says.
I say nothing. What am I going to say? How the hell did Eric get all these people here so fast? What is he planning for, a war? A shiver runs up my spine when I think that may be exactly what he is planning for.
Once we are settled and headed out through the gate, Stefan looks in the mirror to me. "Lady Susannah, at this point Our Master and Regent is unsure of why Compton was taken from the Council guards. It's bordering on treason and someone would need a very big reason to take him. Hallow is another threat and could be the same or different. We have no idea what Hallow wanted with him in the first place. Until we know who all the players are in this game, we will need to double your security. However with this veil coming down, who knows what visibility you will have to others in our world." He says. We do know that that will probably take care of the Fellowship problem. But we also know that the same magick used on the humans isn't working on the Supes. Right now we are working with blind spots and I don't like blind spots.
"Eric is just being cautious." Dalia says.
I nod. Again, there isn't anything to say.
We pull up in front of a little boutique that I don't think I've ever been in. It is on a very nice side of Shreveport that I had traditionally shied away from. Little shops like this one have always been out of my price range.
I look at the sign, Le Femme Boutique. I look over a Vivi.
"I know the owner," she says. "She moved up here after Katrina. She makes some very nice things. I think we will find what we need to start you out." She says.
I wait for Dalia to come open my door and follow her into the store, followed by Amelia and Vivi. Stefan stays by the entrance and I can see that the others have fanned out along the sidewalk. I reach out and feel several around the building and one of the cars full of guards is parked down the street.
I'm about to say something about the strategic task force to Dalia when a woman comes out from the back. Her eyes light up when she sees us. "Vivi, OH what a wonderful surprise," she says and comes to hug her.
Vivi smiles. "How have you been Judith?" She asks.
"Oh you know," she waves her off. "Same old thing," she says and looks at me.
"Ah, yes," Vivi says. "Susannah here is in need of a few things. She has well, she is going to several official meetings with her new gentleman and she will need formal attire as well as business and casual." Vivi says.
The woman, Judith, looks from me to Vivi. "Here in Shreveport or New Orleans?" She asks.
"Actually, Texas, New Orleans and up north a bit," she says. "Elegant, regal and business attire is what we need," Vivi gives her a look. I'm not sure what that look means. But both women nod at each other.
Judith doesn't ask any other questions but looks at me. "I would say a size eight, yes?" She asks.
I smile and nod.
Judith smiles at me. "Softer, summer colors, I would think would be the best for you. Nothing too earthy, blues, greens and reds, I think." She says and moves to the back.
We move around the boutique and I start finding a few things when Judith comes back with a rack of clothes. They begin with simple summer dresses, move onto several suits and then finally we move into cocktail dresses and evening gowns.
She places the rack to one side of the fitting room. "What would you like to start with?" She asks me.
I look to Vivi and Amelia.
Amelia nods. "We'll start with the sundresses," she says picking up the first one and motioning me to follow her to the fitting room.
I take a deep breath and follow her.
***0***
Sam's POV
I have been in my office for most of the morning. I didn't even go to wake up Daphne. She walked in about an hour ago and didn't say a word to me. Guess she's mad. Ah hell, she'll get over it.
I have been contemplating my next move when I look up to see Jason walk in.
"Jason, what the…" I look at him.
He runs in and grabs my arm. "Tell me she's real. Tell me I'm not going crazy." He says to me.
"Jason…calm…what the hell are you yelling about, man?" I ask him.
"Sookie, tell me…tell me she's real and not in my head." He looks at me with pleading eyes.
I take a deep breath. "Sit down, Jason, tell me what you know."
He sits down and places his elbows on his knees. "Shit, man, I think I done blew a fuse, you know?" He looks up at me. "No one remembers her. The reverend…he says…he says there is no one by the name Sookie Stackhouse." He says. "I drove home to get her myself. Thought she would be at the farmhouse. Sam, she ain't there. Not her and not Gran, no one is in the house or anywhere near it. The house…Sam the house looks like it's been empty for like ten years. There is nothing in there that belongs to her or Gran. I called Hoyt and asked if he'd seen them and he thought I was playing around. I saw Laf last night and he made it seem like I was nuts or something.
I even went over to see if she was hiding out at Bill's and he ain't there either." He pauses. "The house…it…it looks like it hasn't been lived in for years. Shit, the whole place looks like a dump." He sits back. "I went to my house. I have a box of old things in the attic of Sookie's. From when Momma and Daddy were still alive but it's gone. The pictures I have of Gran, Gramps, Sook and me are only of Gramps and me. I've got a picture of all of us at a family picnic when I was like twelve and it only has Gramps, Aunt Linda, Hadley, Uncle Bartlett and me. What the fuck is going on?" He yells.
I look at him for a moment. It has to be Northman. There can't be any other answer. He's had someone erase her. Magic like this comes with a price. Shit, I know. I've been erased several times. Each time it took something from me and I don't mean money. All magick has a price. If Jason couldn't remember her, then I would be looking in a different direction for answers. But he's her kin. You can do a lot with magick but you can't make kin forget you. I wanted to get someone to erase me from Tommy and Sybil's mind ten years ago. That's how I know it can't be done.
If I'm right, all we need to do is kill Northman and everything will be the same. I will have him off my back and we will have our Sookie back. I will still probably need to run with her, but at least he won't be able to follow. His people would probably need to avenge him. But they really wouldn't know who did it. And with him dead, they wouldn't need to run after Sookie. All she is, is his little play thing. They wouldn't waste any energy coming after her. At least not too quickly. It would at least give us a heads start. A day or two at the most is all I'll need. I can make us disappear. Hell, I've done it before. Now, all we need to do is kill the Vamp and make it look like some sort of an accident. No, some fellowship members. That would hold them Vamps off my tale. Yeah, that'll work.
"Jason, you're not crazy." I say to him. "Listen to me." I say and he looks up. "I need to know what you mean by the Reverend. Where ya been and what have you been up too?" I ask him.
He sits back and looks at me. "I just want everything to be normal again." He says to me.
"It will, Jason. Just, just tell me what you know." I say to him.
He looks around the room as if he is afraid someone would be listening.
"Come on, let's get out of here and you can tell me what you know, okay?" I stand up. "We'll fix this, Jason."
He huffs and stands to walk toward the door. "Okay."
***0***
SPOV
Three hours later, we have decided on quite a few items. I pick out a yellow and white high neck dress with white appliqué that makes it look almost like a handkerchief. The next is a sea foam green strapless dress with crochet overlay with a high waist bow. The next two dresses are similar in style as the first but one is a halter top with taupe and green polka dots. The last is a simple pewter sundress with crocheting at the neckline.
I pick out a pink tailored suit and a blue on that is more of a dress and a jacket. I figure I can dress that one up or down.
For cocktail dresses, I had a little fun. The first one is pink with a chiffon overlay and flowers. The second looks like an impressionists painting of feathers. They are both strapless and have a sway to them.
The evening gowns I went two ways. The first is red with one shoulder. The sleeveless arm has some jewels on it. With its high waist, it flows very freely. The second one I just had to have. It's off white and strapless. It is a form fitted satin high waist dress with a champagne colored waist that trails behind it. It is beautiful and I just fell in love with it.
We take a few more minutes looking for shoes, purses and hats (which I'm told women wear in Dallas), under things, a few nightgowns and robes that made me blush a little. Lastly, a few odds and ends like hair pins, clips and a few purses.
Deciding that there isn't anything else I think I need we head to the counter. Everything is tallied up and bagged to be taken to the car. I didn't see the total but the woman took Eric's card without question. She did however look at me once more when she saw the name on the card.
This little girl is with Eric Northman? What does he see in her?
I say nothing to her. Now I'm sure she knows what these clothes will be for. I won't give her the satisfaction of upsetting me. Not to mention that she's been nothing but nice to me since I entered the store. Well, of course she's been nice to me. What did I hear in that movie with Julia Roberts, 'people are not nice to people. They're nice to credit cards.' Yeah that would make sense.
I wait again for Dalia to motion toward me before I exit the store. I thank Judith and she insists we come by again soon. Nodding, I head out to the car after thanking Judith once more for her help.
I can't help but open my shields again. One to hear Judith and two to scan the street.
If this little girl is going to drop this kind of money on clothes, I want a piece of the action. I hear from Judith as I climb into the car. The mind chatter of those people around us is light and uneventful. I find comfort in that. Maybe all of this is too much. Maybe we don't need this type of security. Especially when I don't hear anything but people working and worrying about being late for lunch dates.
Everyone settled, we move back into traffic to continue our journey.
"Is there anywhere you want to go, Lady Susannah?" Stefan says.
I nod when the idea pops into my head. "I want you to head to Bon Temps. I want to go to Tara's Togs." I say to him as I give him the address.
"Sookie, do you think…" Amelia starts
"I know what everyone said. I don't think that Fintan would lie to me and I know Eric wouldn't either. But," I look out the window. "I just need to see for myself." I say softly.
"Sookie, this isn't going to change anything." She says.
I nod. "I know. But I just want to see her. Tara was the first girl I met when…" I shake my head. "She was the first and only girl that let me in. She was my only friend for the longest time. She may not remember who Sookie Stackhouse was, but I can try to be friends as Sookie Brigant, can't I?" I ask them all.
"Of course, you can, Sookie," Vivi says.
We ride in silence as we enter the town line of Bon Temps. We pass Merlotte's and I cringe knowing that Sam knows who I am but doesn't know why no one else does. I sigh. I know Sam. He's going to be a problem if Eric or I don't talk to him soon. Even then, he is going to show his true nature, I can feel it. He isn't going to let go and that is going to be a problem. I guess this is one of those things I'm going to have to deal with. Eric is Regent now. If Sam challenges him, Eric is going to have to make an example out of him. It's the only way he is going to keep others from challenging. My head knows this. My heart feels heavy knowing what's to come.
We take the small trip through town and make our way to the strip mall that Tara's place is located in.
I wait again until I'm told to get out and follow Stefan in with Dalia behind me.
Tara is there like she always is. She smiles and comes around the counter. "Hi, Welcome to Tara's Togs," she says. "What can I do for you today?" She asks.
I look at her for a moment. I open my shields to listen.
Wow, this girl is really pretty and she has so many people with her. I hope I can convince her to purchase a few things. Sales have been down this month and I need to make the next month's rent. JB and I need to keep this place afloat if he's going to start his own woodworking business. I don't know what I will do it we can't make the ends meet. If I can sell a few things to this woman, it would go a long way to making my back bills.
She doesn't remember me at all. There is a pain in my chest. I've got all these memories of us growing up and now, well, now they will only live in my mind. I look to Vivi. I can tell she has an idea of what I'm thinking. She smiles at me and I return it to her.
Steeling my emotions, I decide this is one of those times I can't sit on the line between Supe and Humans.
"Hi there," I say to Tara, my name is Susannah. I'm hoping you can help me. I just found out that I've got a few meetings and parties to attend with, well, with my boyfriend." I say to her. I really don't know what to say to her about Eric. What should I've said? I gotta go to a Supe meeting with my Bonded? She wouldn't have a clue what I'm talking about. "I…I need a whole new wardrobe really." I laugh. "He just took a new position and I need, well," I shrug.
She moves closer to me. "Oh, I understand, completely," she smiles. "Where would you like to start?"
"Um, I need a few business, casual, and fancy items to get me started." I say to her. "Do you have anything that may suit?" I ask her.
She buzzes around finding several garments for me to try on. I always loved the clothes she carried and she would always put things aside for me when she thought I would like them. She also would call me when she was marking things on clearance so I could get first crack at it. I never worried about having something to wear. Not that I went too many places. But most of my sundresses came from her. Granted, I never bought the more expensive ones. Tara kept them for the wealthier women from Reston and Shreveport. There were not many women in Bon Temps that needed fancy sundresses, cocktail dresses and ball gowns. We just didn't have the need.
I try on about a dozen dresses and just as many gowns. When we have gone through the first group, Tara is ready with another group of day dresses and business suits. When we finally get through them all, I have four more dresses, two more black dresses, three more cocktail dresses and a beautiful blue ball gown with copper and rhinestone accents as well as a pink one. I've also picked out three business suits complete with hats and gloves.
Vivi, Amelia and Dalia pick out a few things that they can't live without and I add them to my stash. I even find 1 pretty dress that I think Octavia will like and Amelia agrees.
Tara gets a phone call and excuses herself to answer it. I take the time to pick out a few more pairs of shoes and about a dozen bra and panty sets that she just got in. I round out my purchases with a long raincoat that has a zip out lining and a short gray coat that I can wear with several of the dresses and with pants, if I wanted to.
I don't intend to wear too many pant sets or sneakers for that matter. Okay, I don't intend to wear them very much anymore. After all the years I worked at the bar, if I never wear sneakers and jeans again, I'll be okay with that. Not to mention I will never wear those damn shorts Sam made us wear. I'm a girly girl at heart and love to dress up. I smile thinking of the vision of my little girl closet. Seems, I've always loved dresses. I pick out a few pashminas that will look lovely with a few of the dresses on cooler nights. Amelia finds a few clutch purses for me and agrees they will look nice as well.
"That is a good start," Amelia says. "But you and Vivi will need to go shopping when you get to Dallas."
I look at her with a question on my face.
"Sookie," Vivi looks around to see if Tara is in ear shot. When it sees that we have some privacy she turns back to me. "The things you got here and with Judith are really lovely. If your Viking was still a Sheriff it would be fine. But he's Regent now…" she trails off.
I nod. "I understand," I say to her. "People are going to expect, well, they are going to look at how Eric and I dress and use it in sizing up Eric's power."
I knew this. I've known it for a long time.
Amelia nods. "Exactly."
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Tara says as she comes out of the office. "That was my husband. He wanted to tell me about a contract he just got," she smiles at us.
I nod my understanding as we bring the rest of our things to the counter. Tara's eyes widen when she sees all the things we've found. She begins to tally everything up and when she's done, I pay with Eric's credit card.
I didn't realize my shields were still down when I hear her thoughts.
Oh My God, this is going to go such a long way to help us. I think JB is going to shit something when he sees the total of this purchase. We are set for the next three months in rent and I will be able to setup that credit I wanted with that designer from New Orleans. I know we don't have much call for fancy dresses in Bon Temps. But if I get a few of those fancy boutique dresses here, then women like the Mayor's wife may come here instead of New Orleans or Dallas. He was so excited when I told him I had customers. I can't wait to get home and tell him all about her!
I have to smile. Tara is still a very loud broadcaster.
I smile at her as she pulls the clothes onto hangers and wraps them. My best friend may not remember me, but I can sure do what I can to help her and her husband. .
As she finishes up, I ask Amelia for a card with my number on it. She hands it to me and I hand it over to Tara. "I've just moved back to the area and I really like your selections," I wave my hand around the store. "Would you call me when you get new things in?" I ask her.
She takes the card and beams. "I would be happy to." She says and looks at the name and her face looks like she's deep in thought. She shakes her head. "I'm sorry," she says. "But Susannah, um, didn't you live here like ages ago?" She asks me.
I nod. "When I was a little girl," I say, remembering the cover story.
She smiles. "Well, welcome back," she says. "I'm Tara," she says. "You probably don't remember me. I think we went to school together for like a month or two." She says.
I try to look like I'm thinking and then I nod. "Oh right," I say to her with a laugh. "I'm sorry that I didn't recognize your name when I came in. Your, um, your Tara Thorton, right?" She smiles and nods. "Well, it's really good to see you. My we were what, five at the time?" I ask her.
She laughs. "Yeah, it sure was a real long time ago." She says. "You all left so quickly," she pauses. "You know, someone was asking about you the other day." She says and pauses. "Sookie, your Gran called you Sookie, right?"
I nod knowing all too well who was looking for me.
"Well, welcome back again," she pauses. "When I get a new selection in, I'll let you know. Anything particular you are looking for?" She asks me.
I shake my head. "Nope," I say. "Just whatever."
We say goodbye and we head out toward the cars.
Dalia looks at me curiously. "What," I say.
"Sookie, you must be careful. She has no idea that you and Sookie Stackhouse are the same person, but Supes will." She says. "You must be careful who you tell who you are. You already know that the Shifter called looking for you. Stackhouse remembers who you are too. This could be bad." She says.
We are just about to get into the cars when a jeep pulls up into the parking lot.
I look at the passengers and cringe. Dalia
***0***
Jason's POV
I climbed in beside Sam as he pulled his jeep out onto the road and headed out toward the farmhouse.
"Tell me what you know, Jason." He says to me.
I sigh and look out the window. "One day Gran and Sookie are living out here fine and dandy and the next day, poof their gone. No one's seen hide nor hair of them. Gran was supposed to be off on some trip. Well that's what Sookie said. Then she gets all tangled up with this Vamp out of Shreveport and all hell breaks loose."
I had to agree with him there.
"When did you last talk to her?" He asks.
"When she stormed out of your office the other day," I say. "I tried to call her but she hasn't called me back." Well I called her to get her ass home. She needs to get away from those Vamps so we can protect her. The Reverend thought that she could be help for the cause. Considering she can listen in to people like she can. Plus, she seems to be a magnet for all them bloodsuckers.
Sam slows the car down when we reach Hummingbird Lane. "You have a phone number for her?" He asks me.
I nod. "Yeah," I pull out my phone. "I tried calling it when I was at the farmhouse last night. But…" I pause. Who was that woman who was at the house and where the hell did she go?
"But what, Jason?" He asks.
"Oh, yeah," I say shaking my head. "But when I tried, it's not connecting or something. I tried it like ten times. I called information. Just in case I wrote it down wrong, ya know?" I ask him. "But they said they have no listing for Sookie Stackhouse."
We pull up the drive and he stops about ten yards from the end of the driveway. If you can call it a driveway. There are so many pot holes, you can't really get down it in a regular car. The grass is way over grown and I can't tell where the gardens ever were.
"See," I say to him. "What the hell happen to the house?" I ask him. "Where is Gran?"
He shakes his head. "I don't know. You any clue where she would go?"
I think on it for a minute and then shake my head. "I got no clue, man," I say to him.
We hear another car coming down the street. I look across the graveyard and see JB's truck pulling up in front of the old Compton estate. I'd never seen JB anywhere near Vampire Bill. What the hell is he doing there?
I look at Sam and he nods as if he knows what I'm thinking.
Putting the car in drive, we turn around and pull back out onto Hummingbird. Taking the next driveway, we pull up next to JB.
"Hey guys," he says to us as he gets out of his truck. "What you two doing around here?" He asks. "Thinking about buying the old Stackhouse house, Sam?" He asks. "I thought for sure Jason here was going to let that old place fall in on itself." He pauses. "Shame really. Nice enough house."
I look at Sam and he shakes his head. He doesn't know either.
"What ya doing out here, JB?" I ask him.
"Oh," he smiles. "I was at a new general contractor and we got a call from some big developer out of New Orleans," he says. "Guess that Vampire Bill has decided that he wants the house remodeled and sold. He is giving me a chance and is giving me the carpentry and framing. So I just come out here to see what we could get started on this week. The rest of the teams will be here in a day or two."
I shake my head. "What you mean developer?" I ask him.
"Well," he pauses. "Wait a minute," He says and looks at his phone. "Just got a few bars. I was over in Menlo when I got the news from the contractor. I want to call Tara."
He moves away to talk to his wife when I look at Sam. "What does he mean that I would let the house fall in on itself."
Sam leans back against the door of his jeep. "I did a little research this morning. I guess," he looks at me. "You sure you're up to hearing this?"
I nod for him to continue. "Okay," he sighs. "From what I can gather, you lived over there with your grandfather, old man Stackhouse. I guess," he pauses again. "Jason, the report said he was intoxicated, walked into the pond and drowned."
I look at him for a moment. He couldn't have. I was with Gran and Sookie when Gramps died. I was there at his side when he took his last breath.
He shrugs. "That's what the internet said. I looked up old articles on the house, the family and you. You were only fifteen when it happened. You wanted to go live on your own, but the courts sent you to live with your uncle. When you turned eighteen, you moved out of his house and took over your parent's old place; Linda and Kyle Hawthorne where their name. There was some information on that. Evidently you made your grandfather petition the courts to have emancipated and you chose to take the Stackhouse name. It took some time and the courts were hesitant to give someone nine years old emancipation so your Grandfather legally had your name changed and had your father's parental rights revoked."
I shake my head. "What?" I ask him. This can't be happening. I've no idea what the hell he's talking about.
He sighs. "Jason, according to the documents I found, your father was a drug addict. The house you all lived in was a gift to your mom on her wedding day. He…he got into some trouble with a dealer in Reston. He….he wanted your mom to sell the house but she wouldn't . He…He ended up shooting her then himself. First, they both survived but he landed in jail. Your mother was so messed up, she took off not shortly after he received his sentence. There was…was a death certificate for her about three months after she left. Your father got killed in prison. There wasn't much left but the house was left to you and Hadley. But you were both in the house when Kyle took the gun to Linda. You were hiding under the bed but Hadley saw it all. She's the one that called the police. Or at least that was the report. She was pretty messed up from that point forward. There are several reports of her getting in trouble with law here and Reston. When your Gramps died, Hadley ran off and left you to deal with everything.
I shake my head again. "What kind of cruel joke are you playing?" I ask him. "Corbett and Patricia Stackhouse were my parents. They died in a flash flood. Lind…Linda was my aunt. " Kyle had done everything he said. But he wasn't my father. He was Hadley's father. Momma and Daddy wanted to help Linda but she took off with Hadley not soon after Kyle went to jail. We didn't find out until years later that Linda had died. Hadley came back once but she didn't last long," I look at him again. "What the hell is this all about?"
Sam shakes his head. "According to what I found out, there are no records of Corbett, Patricia or Sookie Stackhouse."
"Okay hon," I hear JB say. "Boy that's great news." He pauses. "Okay, I'll let you get back. Love you."
JB hangs up and comes walking over to us. "Boy that's a relief," he says. We both look at him to continue. "Some woman just walked into Tara's place. Guess she's buying a ton of clothes. She thinks she remembers her from when she was a kid . Some girl named Susannah."
"Is she still at the shop?" Sam asks.
JB nods. "Yeah, that's why Tara had to go."
Sam spins around and heads to the Jeep. "We'll see you later, JB." He says.
I jump in with him. "What the hell…."
He speeds out of the drive and heads toward Tara's shop. "Jason, last night when I went to confront Sookie at the Vamp bar, they kept calling her Susannah."
"Wait, you went to see her last night?" I yell at him. "Where is she? Is she with that Vamp? So help me Sam, I'll tan her hide if she's…."
"Jason shut up!" Sam screams at me. "Look she's with a big and powerful Vampire in Shreveport. He wouldn't even let me get near her. The only chance we got is to get her when he isn't around. He's dead for the day, Jason. If we can get her, maybe she can help us break this spell."
"Spell, what spell?" I ask him.
"Jason, this whole thing is a spell. The Vamp put a spell on her, on the town, everyone. He did it to get everyone to forget who she is. The only way we can break it is to kill the Vamp. If we can get Sookie away from him, maybe she will break out of it long enough to tell us where to find him."
He blows through a light. We are only a block to the strip-mall. We pull in and I see Sookie coming out the door of Tara's place with three other beautiful women I'd never seen before.
Before the jeep is at a complete stop, I jump out.
"Sookie!" I scream at her. But before I can take two steps, I feel someone grabbing onto my arms. I look to see two very large men have me by the arms.
"Get the fuck off me," I yell at them. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" I look over a Sookie. Sam has gotten out of his side and doesn't make it any further than I did.
"What the fuck. Sookie you no good Vamp whore, get your ass over here." I scream at her. She looks up and I can see the unshed tears in her eyes.
I manage to get my arm away from one of the men and take a swing at him. When he backs up to side step the swing, I make my move and head toward Sookie.
"You stupid bitch," I growl at her. "What have you done now?"
I'm three steps away from her when I feel like I've hit a wall. I push against it but I can't get closer. I'm about to run to the side when one of the men catches up to me. I struggle to get out of his grip but it's like a vice. I've never felt anything like it.
I turn back to Sookie to say something but the three women have her in an SUV and are speeding out of the parking lot before I can pull away again.
I look over to Sam who is now face-down on the ground. "Get your hands off of me!" Sam says.
"Keep still," one of the men say. "You just stay still."
I struggle to get free to help Sam but they just hold me still.
The guards hold us for a few minutes. Probably so the SUV could get away. The men let go of us and I look to see Tara standing by the door.
"What is wrong with the two of you?" She asks us. "That woman was the best sale I've had all year and you just about attacked her in the parking lot."
One of the men still has hold of Sam. "The Regent has warned you to stay away. I believe this is your last chance."
Another SUV pulls up and all four of them get in and take off.
Tara looks at the vehicle and then to us. "What the HELL is wrong with the two of you!"
"Tara, do you know who that was." I point out to the road.
"Yes, as matter of fact, I do," she says. "That girl used to live here ages ago. Now she's back and she has money. Or she has a guy who has money. She just dropped nine thousand dollars in my store. But you two," she points to us. "May have ruined the best sale I've ever HAD!"
She turns around and heads back into the store, slamming the door behind her.
I look over at Sam. "How are we going to get close to her?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "I don't know. But I know where she and the Vamp will be come next week. If we can't get her away from him by then, we'll have to destroy him to get her."
I look at him for a minute. Then his words sink in. "Destroy, how?"
He motions for me to get in the jeep. "We will need to talk to your friends at the church, Jason." He says to me. "We will need their help."
We get in and he looks at me. "Where is the Reverend of yours?" He asks.
"Ummm, he…he went to his compound over the border. A…About an hour away, just outside Marshall."
Sam nods and turns the jeep back out toward route 20. Guess he's not wasting any time. We are going to see the Reverend. Maybe Sam will have better luck convincing the good Reverend of Sookie's existence.
***0***
SPOV
"Sookie, are you okay?" Stefan asks me from the driver's seat.
I'm not sure of my voice yet, so I just nod.
"How did they find out you were there?" Vivi asks the car.
"The…the call," I say to them all.
Vivi looks at me. "What honey?" She asks.
"Th…the call. JB called Tara. She must have said something about…about me being there." I say to them.
Dalia shakes her head. "But she doesn't know who you are. She only knew you as Susannah."
"When…" I take a deep breath trying to calm myself down. "When we were there last night, Eric called me Susannah, so did Irina and you, Dalia."
We are all quiet as we pass through town again. I almost want to stop in at Merlotte's to see Lafayette but after what just happened, I feel like I should stay as far away from Sam as I can.
"What…what's going to happen to them?" I direct my question to Stefan and Dalia.
"That will depend on the Regent, M'Lady," Stefan says.
I don't think there needs to be anything more said on this subject. Eric is going to do what he needs to. There isn't anything I can do about that.
I lean back and close my eyes as a wave of nausea and dizziness hits me.
"Sookie," I hear someone say. But it sounds like it's coming from a tunnel. I want to answer but I can't.
"She needs a blood," I hear beside me.
I want to ask them what's going on but I can't seem to make my brain and mouth work.
"Drink, Susannah," I hear closer to my ear. I feel something at my lips. I open my mouth and feel something small between my lips.
"Suck," I hear.
I do as I'm told. But it's taking a lot of effort.
"More, Susannah," I hear someone say.
I suck harder and deeper. Feeling the cold liquid hit my throat, I start to hear things clearer.
I open my eyes as I continue to drink.
"She's coming back to us," I hear Amelia say. "Honey, keep drinking," she says.
I nod and keep sucking on the straw. I soon hit the bottom of the bottle and it is quickly replaced with another one. This one I can hold for myself.
No one says a thing as I continue to drink. Once I'm half way through, I slow my drinking down.
I look at all of them. "I'm sorry, I just…"
"You had a fright and used your powers again," Dalia says. "You have no idea how to control it yet and you used it to block Stackhouse."
I nod. Well what am I going to say.
"M'lady," Vivi says softly. "Keep drinking."
I nod and begin drawing on the straw again.
Dalia looks at Vivi and then at me. "You are in need of some training and fast," she says.
"I hate that I worried everyone but I'm feeling much better now," I say to them all.
"Honey, you shouldn't have to feel bad to begin with," Vivi says. "You shouldn't have had to deal with him."
"Well what are we going to do?" I ask.
No one answers. I'm not sure if it's because they don't know or if they just don't want to say. I've got a feeling that it's the latter.
We drive the rest of the way home in comfortable silence. When we pull into the driveway and Stefan announces us to the guard station, I look at the clock on the dash. It is barely three o'clock. Plenty of time to get home and do a few things before Eric rises.
"Sookie, do you have any luggage?" Amelia asks me.
I look at her for a moment. Other than a few duffle bags, I have nothing.
I shake my head, no.
"That's okay," she says. "If I order some when we get inside, I should be able to get it expressed shipped to be here tomorrow afternoon before we need to pack you up." She says.
"Wouldn't Dillard's have something?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "No, we need enough for you not only to bring with you but to carry your things home from Dallas when you shop. I will get on the Louis Vuitton site. We should be able to have it here by noon tomorrow." She says.
I open my eyes. "Louis Vuitton," I look at her. "But that's..um…well…" I look between Amelia and Vivi.
"Sookie, breathe,"breathe," Amelia says. "It's the best and Eric will want you to have the best." She says.
I take a deep breath. "Okay…but…well.."
She laughs a little. "Sookie, you need things. You need things that are fitting a queen. I know you and Adele lived as if you were just a small farming family, but the truth is, you aren't. You are going to be meeting kings and all their courts. Just like you need some higher end garments, you have to look the part in every way." She says.
I nod but say nothing.
Once back at the house. The ladies help me up with the bags and once I have them in the room, we place them on my bed so that I can hang them up later.
We walk back down and I see Amelia is already on my brand new computer, ordering me some luggage.
"Sookie, you should check your email," she says as I come in.
Sally May is busy getting food on the table for us. She wasn't kidding when she said that I was going to eat.
"Oh, I should do that, shouldn't I?" I say to her.
She smiles and motions for me to sit with her. Within minutes, she has my email up and we are looking through them. She shows me how to organize things put things into folders and even add items to my calendar so I can get it from my phone. We go through a few things that have already come into me. Mostly information from Bobby about my contract and the papers that have been filed with Council.
There are a few emails already from Crystal and we sit around looking at the sketches and making comments and sending them back. Once that is all done and we have eaten a lovely salad with roasted chicken, Dalia and Amelia motion for me to follow them outside.
"Okay, Sookie," Amelia says. "Octavia wants us to concentrate on your control, so that's where we are going to start," she says. "With what happened earlier, we are going to keep it easy," she says. "I want you to drink that," she points to the bottle on the table, "while we are doing our work."
I nod as she continues. "I know you are in a dress, but I want you to take off your shoes and walk over to the grass," she motions to the grass. I walk over and Vivi puts a towel down for me. She hands me the bottle and I drink about half of it down. I hand it back to her and she nods.
"Okay, I want you to sit down and get comfortable but I want your feet and your hands to be touching the grass." She says.
I do what she says and she smiles.
"Good, okay we are going to work on grounding techniques." She says. "The earth is our grounder and we use it for many things. Today I want you to use it to center yourself." She pauses. "Close your eyes and focus on the ground." She waits for me to do as she has said. "Sookie, I want you to take a few deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your nose." She waits for me to breath.
"Okay, I want you to focus on the energy of the earth. Feel it flowing in through your hands and through your body and out through your feet." She says.
I do as she says and I feel it.
I nod.
"Good, now just breathe." She says.
I do as she tells me to. I feel the energy flowing through me. I feel energy filling me. But it isn't stationary. I feel the fluidity of it.
We practice this for another few minutes.
"How do you feel, Sookie," Amelia asks.
I open my eyes and smile at her. "Centered," is all I say.
She nods. "Good, okay, you should go on up." She says as she motions to her watch.
I smile and run to the stairs. I've been waiting all day for my Viking and I'm not going to waste one single minute.
I quickly start taking my things into the closet and have the last things carried in when I start to feel him.. I'm sure that Dalia is just outside but I'm not going to let that stop me.
I begin to unzip my dress when I feel him behind me.
"MMMM, hello my Bonded." He says as he kisses the space on my back that is now bare from the unzipping. "Let me help you with that." He purrs.
Until that moment, I didn't realize the pull in my center was the yearning for him.
He slowly unzips the dress and allows it to fall to the ground. My bra quickly follows and my thong is no more.
Reaching around the front of me, he cups one of my breasts in his hand while the other captures my jaw and pulls my face up and captures my lips in a searing kiss.
Once I feel like my legs can no longer hold me, he pulls back. "Susannah," he says looking me over. "Are you alright?" He asks. He starts examining my body for any marks.
Ah, he must have heard already. Well of course he would have. I nod. "They didn't get anywhere near me, Eric," I say softly.
He growls. "They got too close," he says and pulls me closer, kissing me thoroughly once more.
He pulls back to allow me to breath. "I see you had a full day." He says to me.
I shake my head. "Later," I look him in the eyes. "I need you, Eric." I say to him.
He smirks at me. "Oh, my vixen," he purrs as he captures my other breast with his hand and starts to kiss down my neck. "You smell so good." He growls.
One of his hands starts to head south to my core. Within seconds he is stroking me and I move my legs to give him more room.
"So wet, Min Kara," he says in a whisper.
"Eric…I…ah…" I arch my back into his chest.
"That's right," he growls. "Come for me, Min Kara ," he says.
As if my body is completely under his control, as he adds another finger to my core, I release my first and hopefully not my last orgasm of the night.
Before I can completely come back to my body, Eric is moving me to the large Ottoman in the middle of our closet.
"Climb on, Susannah," he says in a commanding voice. "On your hands and knees," he says.
I do as I'm told as Eric moves behind me and lifts my bottom higher which causes my upper body to go lower.
"Present yourself to me," he growls again.
I do as he asks and lift my bottom as high as I can.
Eric doesn't waste any time and sinks into me completely.
I howl out, not in pain but in pleasure. This is what I've wanted all day.
"Mine," Eric growls at me. "Tell me that your mine." He emphasizes every word with a thrust.
"Yours…Eric…OH…I'm…I'm all yours." I pant out.
Eric leans forward and starts licking my shoulder. As he sinks his fangs into my shoulder, I have my second release as Eric comes to his first.
As we come down I feel Eric massaging my breast and my core again.
"Do you need a moment?" He asks me.
I shake my head. "I need you Eric, please." I beg him.
He doesn't have to be told twice. Within seconds, he has flown us to the bed where he moves between my thighs.
"Ahh…Eric…" I gasp. "Please…I need…I need you." I beg him.
"Warm…wet…are you…are you ready for me?" He asks between strokes of his tongue.
"Eric, it burns, please, I need you inside me again." I beg him.
He traces kisses up my body until he positions himself again at my center.
"Min Kara , I need you too." He says as he enters me.
"Oh….YES!" I arch my back off the bed to change the angle. If I died at this moment, I would never want to lose this feeling of him inside me.
"Ahh…You…tight…" He says between thrusts.
"For you…only for you." I say to him.
I tilt my head to the side to allow him access to my neck.
I hear the crunch and know that he has opened a vein for me. When he places it at my lips, I begin to suck with want and greed. He tastes so damn good.
I receive a moan from my Viking as he kisses my pressure point and sinks his fangs deep within me.
I feel the burst of energy between us again and see the explosion behind my eyes.
I can hear us both screaming out in ecstasy as we finally come back to ourselves.
Eric begins to kiss me everywhere he can get too.
"Min Kara , I…can't…get…enough of you." He says to me.
He moves to the side of me and releases me. I moan a little at the separation.
Eric laughs and starts tracing his fingers up and down my middle.
"Tell me what happen, Susannah." He says to him.
I start with the dream I had this morning. Then I move to the information from Poppa and then to Octavia, the decorator and finally shopping in town and then at Tara's.
"Sookie, do you think it was wise…" He begins and I place my hand on his lips.
"I needed to know for myself. I stayed away from Sam and the rest of them. I just…I just needed…"
He kisses me and in that moment, I know he understands.
"What…what's going to happen now?" I ask him.
He looks at me for a long moment. He promised he would never lie to me and I know that promise is cautioning his next works.
"Min Kara," he says and places a hand on my lower belly. "They are both threats to you and our family. I'll do what I need to." He says and kisses me.
I allow him to and touch the side of his face. Tears fill my eyes but I don't let them fall. I know whatever Eric does will be for our benefit.
We stay there for a few minutes, just looking into each other's eyes. Finally, he smiles at me and leans in to kiss me. "My beloved has had a full day. I hope you aren't tired. I have a few things I want to discuss with you." He says. "Then I will need to go into the club to deal with a few things."
I know I should ask, but truthfully, I don't think I want to know. I nod to him. "I'm okay. What do you think about my little dream or vision? Do you really think that they have redone us or turned back time or whatever they call it more than once?" I ask him.
He looks out into the distance for a minute and I feel uncertainty in the bond.
I touch the side of his face. "What is it, Eric?" I ask him.
He looks down at me.
***0***
EPOV
I look down at her and try to decide what to say. I can't lie to her. It's impossible; she would know the moment I did.
I take a breath that I don't need. "Yes Sookie, I believe that they have done it several times." I say to her. "I think that your vision was a warning and you took it the way you were supposed to." I pull her closer. "I'm very proud of you and how you handled the situation. All the situations you have found yourself in today."
I can feel the panic climbing in the bond.
I push back love and calm to her. "Susannah, please," I say to her. "I need you to stay calm." I say to her. "What has upset you?"
"Eric, all these things against us. All these timelines…." She trails off.
"Susannah, please, think of the baby," I say softly to her. She closes her eyes and I can feel her trying to settle herself. I send her calm and love and she returns them.
She opens her eyes and looks at me. "Eric, all of this, these timelines. Why am I seeing ones you have no memory of?"
He kisses me once more. "Yes, I know of another timeline. I…I was given a chance to change it. I didn't…I didn't know it wasn't the first time that they had done it." I say to her.
"But…you…you remember us in that…" She looks up at me.
I nod trying to hide my pain from that time but know that it's impossible to completely mask it from her.
"Shh," she says as she places a hand on my face. "It doesn't matter. We are here now, together. Whatever happened then isn't now. We are together now, right?" She asks me.
I feel the tears welling in my eyes as I think of my beloved princess dying in my arms.
"NO!" She growls at me. "I don't care what happened then. We are here." She takes my hand and places it on her heart. "My heart, it beats only for you." She says. "Chun tú Ba mhaith liom cónaí trí míle básanna. Just a bhfuil tú liom".
I look at her and send her all the love I can. "Ní bheidh síoraíocht go leor ." I say as I touch her face.
"We will not think on any other time but now. I don't understand it and I don't want to. The only thing it's good for is to learn from it. We will follow our hearts and our mind. We will love each other and protect one another." She says. "This time, we will do it right."
I nod and pull her close. I need her to be mine in every way. Tonight I will start that process.
I hear a knock on the door.
"I'm sorry to bother you two, but you need to come down and see this." Dalia says.
Sookie and I get up, clean up and head downstairs as quickly as we can.
We walk into the kitchen to see a small TV has been set up in the corner of the room.
I see that Godric and Tomas have joined the rest of our group.
Amelia turns back to us. "It was just announced." She says.
"What has just been announced?" Sookie asks.
Amelia increases the volume.
That's right Roger," a woman says from what looks like the courthouse steps in New Orleans. "The word just came down. Vermont and Louisiana are the first states to ratify its laws to legalize marriages between Vampires and Humans. The announcement was delayed until dusk so that Vampires would hear the news like the rest of us." She says. "Vermont has been quoted as saying that they are legalizing the union but have increased the waiting time to five days instead of three to get a license." She pauses. "Louisiana, as well Nevada are the only two states in the union without a wait time for marriage licenses. You would have thought that Nevada, with such entertainment meccas as Reno and Las Vegas would be the first to allow marriages but officials say that they are looking at every angle before they make their decisions." She says. "The question now Roger is who is going to be the first to walk in for their union to be official."
Another man comes on screen. "Thank you Tanya. Now in studio is the AVL representative, Nan Flannigan. Thank you for joining us this evening." He says to her.
Well, now we know why she was in Louisiana last night.
"Thank you for having me." She says.
"Well I'm sure you are pleased with this outcome." Roger asks her.
Nan smiles. "It is a great day for vampire rights." She says.
"Do you know who will be the first to take the plunge?" He asks.
Nan shakes her head. "No, we aren't doing this for publicity, Roger. The first couple to marry will be indeed a front-page headline. However, like everything else, we hope that it isn't done for showboating."
Roger smiles at the camera. "We attempted to get the opposition on the phone this evening. However they would not appear. We did receive a statement that says that the Fellowship of the Sun denounces this and any other rights that have been put in place here in Louisiana for Vampires." He turns back to Nan. "How do you feel about that statement?" He asks her.
She shakes her head. "I think that it is very ignorant. Vampires are here. We aren't going anywhere. We just want to live our lives like anyone else." She says.
Roger nods'. "Just to recap, Louisiana law states that it recognizes marriages between Vampires and Humans…..
Everyone seems to be talking at once. The announcement continues, however I tune it out. Placing my hand in my pocket and palming the small box that I've been holding all night. I didn't expect this announcement today but I'm not going to question it. Again, fate is telling me we are on the right track.
"Excuse us for a while," I look at everyone. "Sally May, has everything been set up?" I ask her.
She smiles at me. I had left her a note last night on what I wanted. "Of course, My Liege." She says.
I nod and take Sookie's hand. "Will you join me?" She asks.
She looks at me with her bright smile. "Of course, Eric." She says.
I lead her out the back and down the path to the lake.
True to Sally May's word, a blanket has been spread out with a basket and a few torches have been lit. The lights of which are now dancing off the lake. I've asked the guards to be discreet this evening and give Susannah and I all the privacy that they can. I look over toward the pool where Dalia is. I know that Stefan will not be too far away as well.
"Oh, Eric…it's, it's beautiful." She says.
I take her hand up to my lips and kiss it.
I help her down and then sit next to her.
I open the basket and place a few things out. Sally May has set up what humans call finger foods.
For the next half hour, I have fun feeding Sookie as she laughs and giggles.
We talk about our trip and what she has bought to take with her. She seems excited to shop in Dallas.
"I've never shopped like that before." She says. "But…nothing, I mean, I have nothing in my name." She says.
I take her hand. "Bobby is handling all of that. He will also call ahead and set up accounts at stores for you. You have nothing to worry about." I say and kiss her.
She looks out at the water and I look at her. The light from the torches and the moon are dancing on her face and hair. I can't help but be overcome with her beauty.
"I can feel you, you know." She says turning to look at me.
I smile at her. "Sookie, there is something I want to ask you."
She turns her body to look at me. "Okay?"
I take her hands in mine. "Min Kara, I want you to be mine in every way. I want to pledge to you. I want to marry you in the human world so both worlds know how much I love you and want to call you mine." I pull the ring out of my pocket and open the box.
I hear her gasp when she looks at it. "My love, I had this made over five hundred years ago. I hoped that by doing it, I would find you sooner rather than later."
I can see the tears welling in her eyes. "Susannah Aslin Brigant, would you do me the honor of becoming my pledge, my bride, my life mate for all eternity?" I ask her.
"Oh Eric," she says.
I pull the ring out and hold it to her.
"Sookie," I smile, "you haven't given me an answer."
Her eyes go wide. "YES, OH YES…" She jumps at me. She pulls back and kisses me. The power of which almost knocks me over.
I laugh when she lets me go and I place the ring on her finger.
She looks at it and smiles at me. "I love you so much."
I kiss her ring and then look up at her. "Well, we have to wait until we meet with Council to Pledge but when do you want to wed?" I ask her.
She gets an evil look in her eyes. "Tomorrow," she says.
I wait for a moment to see if she's kidding but I feel nothing but conviction in her.
I smile back. "Well, then we have a lot to do, now don't we."
***0***
