CHAPTER 38
Amelia's chant sounded like Latin and I could feel the magic as it left her hands and started to envelop Bob. He loosened his grip, his angry gaze turning to alarm as he looked at Amelia who was walking towards us. I didn't wait to see what Amelia's magic would do. I cupped my hands and boxed Bob squarely on the side of each ear. He howled in surprise and pain and moved off of me, giving me a chance to squirm out and get away.
I left the two witches to battle it out and I ran to the garage door, ignoring my bleeding bare feet. Inside the garage, I could see that Quinn had made it through the access door to the vampire's hidey-hole. "Dear God," I prayed as I began to climb down the stairs.
I almost tripped over what was left of Quinn. His huge body was sprawled against the bottom of the stairs, the front of his shirt a bloody mess. It looked like his heart had been torn out by brute force. The smell of blood was thick in the air. It was still trickling down and forming little scarlet puddles. Quinn's hands were still in the process of turning from tiger claw back to human as the spark of life left him. I scurried backwards up the steps into the cool, fresh air of the garage and vomited.
Sinking down to me knees on the clean, smooth concrete of my new garage, I leaned forward onto the palms of my hands, lowering my head while the world spun round. "You won't pass out, you won't pass out," I chanted.
Several minutes must have passed and I heard Amelia calling quietly from the entry door of the garage. I looked up to see her, still in her nightgown and robe, looking worried. She was holding a big black and white cat in her arms, and when it struggled to get away, she swatted it lightly on the nose.
"Sookie, are you okay? What's going on? Why did Bob attack you?"
She looked down to the floor in front of me, where I had vomited and I could see her indecision. She wanted to help me, but she was not about to let that cat down to get away. She came in and closed the door.
"Sookie?" she asked again and I gathered breath and answered her.
"I'm okay, Amelia. Go into the house and lock the door. Don't let anyone in. Then get my phone; it's by the bed. The numbers will be programmed in. Call Dr. Ludwig and tell her she needs to come and see to the guards. They are unconscious out in the yard. Then call Mr. Cataliades. Tell him Victor has moved against Eric and he needs to notify all the sheriff's guards, so they are prepared. He will know what to do until the vamps get up. Do it now. And lock that fucking cat up in my room!"
"Are you sure you're okay, Sook?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Go right now, Amelia!" I said in the most authoritative voice I could muster. I hauled myself up to my feet, and when she saw me standing, and the look on my face, she turned quickly and headed to the house.
I wasn't sure if I could bring myself to go back down the stairs. If Quinn was dead, then Eric must be okay, right? I could feel his life force still thrumming through the bond. But I needed to check on him, and Jordun, and I would have to climb over Quinn's body to do that. I steeled myself and straightened my robe, tightening the belt around the waist. I wished I had my underwear on. I was always better prepared to deal with things when I had my underwear on.
After flipping on the light switch, I placed my feet carefully as I made my way down, closing the door behind me. Now that the adrenaline was leaving my body, I could feel each little cut that the gravel had left in my feet, and knew that I was leaving little bloody footprints. Well, there was enough blood to clean up already. The coppery smell of it along with the stronger smell of voided bowels was invading my nostrils as I worked my way around the bulk that had been Quinn. With the light on, I could see that his heart was not the only thing that had been torn out. There was a gaping hole at his throat. My gorge rose again and I swallowed down bile, closing my eyes and hoping I wouldn't throw up again.
There was a bend at the bottom of the stairwell that kept any daylight from entering the lair, where the vampires slept. So Quinn had not made it into the sleeping chamber.
"Jordun? It's me, Sookie. I'm coming in."
At first I didn't hear an answer, but then I caught a faint moan. I flipped the light for the main room and I saw him. He was on the floor, his back leaning against the freshly painted wall. His eyes were closed and his face was a grimace of pain. His hands were clutching the front of his stomach and they were drenched in blood.
I glanced quickly to the beds. Yes, Eric was still sleeping, sprawled out on top of the covers wearing a pair of black sleeping pants. His eyes were closed and his hands were crossed over his abdomen. He looked well and truly dead, but not injured. Jan and Daniel were lying in the bed next to Eric. They were naked and spooned together, the pale skin of each of their bodies blending together in one uniform color. Daniel's arms were wrapped around Jan's waist.
"Jordun, how badly are you hurt? Let me see," I said as I knelt down in front of him.
"I will heal, Sister," he said, but his voice sounded weak and he didn't open his eyes.
"I'm going to move your hands, Jordun," I warned him, and taking his hands in mine, slowly began to move them away from his stomach. I stopped almost immediately. I could see that Quinn's claws must have almost gutted him, and he was holding in his intestines.
"Oh my God, Jordun. I don't know what to do." He obviously couldn't be moved, and it would be a while before Dr. Ludwig could get here. And then, there was the secret that Jordun could be awake during the day. Eric had been quite clear on that. Under no circumstances should I let anyone know. I already wasn't sure how I could explain how Quinn had been stopped, but that would be a problem for Eric.
"I will heal while I sleep, Sister. But I am afraid that it will be a little painful." I could see he was in agony and was putting on a good front for me. He couldn't hide the tension in his muscles or the beads of bloody sweat that rolled slowly down the side of his face.
I went over to the bed where my Eric was sleeping, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead, then rummaged around for his pants on the floor. Eric always threw his pants onto the floor and he always kept a small knife in his pocket. Grabbing the knife, I went back to Jordun, who was making small noises of pain.
Opening the blade and placing it against the inside of my wrist, I closed my eyes, steeled myself and pulled the blade swiftly against my skin. The pain was sharp and immediate and blood flowed out of the small wound almost at once. I placed my wrist against Jordun's mouth and told him, in my most imperious voice, "You have my permission. Drink!"
He hesitated for only a second, then his nostrils flared from the scent of my blood and he began to suck greedily on the cut. It hurts when a vampire takes blood, even if they don't pierce your skin with their fangs. This wasn't a sharing of blood during the peak of sexual arousal and I couldn't be glamored, so I just gritted my teeth and waited for it to be over.
After a few moments, Jordun quit sucking and began to lick the wound. His color looked better almost immediately, a pink flush showing on his face and chest. The blood had stopped flowing from his stomach, and he had relaxed his muscles, his posture changing slightly and looking more relaxed.
Having had enough experience with vampires to know that the cut in my wrist would heal over quickly and wouldn't scar if it was sealed with vampire blood, I moved my hand down to his and rubbed it against the drying blood on his hands. He nodded approval, but still didn't say anything, although his eyes were now open and he was looking at me intently.
"You'll feel better soon, right? Do you want some True Blood?"
He nodded and I went to the little refrigerator that Amelia and I had stocked for the vampire's visit. Getting out a bottle, I warmed it, and then shook it up before I brought it to Jordun's lips. His hands were still clutching his stomach, but after a few swallows of True Blood, he brought one of them up to take the bottle.
I looked in amazement to see that the wound was healing before my eyes. His insides were back where they belonged, and new skin seemed to be growing over everything. Of course, that made it more obvious that he was butt naked. Now was not the time for embarrassment however and I moved my gaze back to his face. I admit that I did take a good look first.
"Thank you, Sister, for your generosity. Let's hope my brother does not feel compelled to take my head now that I have tasted your blood. I can see why he is so addicted to it."
"I have a feeling Eric won't mind in this case, since you just saved his life," I said. "Thank you, Jordun."
"It is my pleasure, Sister. Are you okay? You are not injured?"
"Not really, a few bruises I think and I cut my feet on the gravel. I didn't have time to find my slippers. But nothing important."
At least I hoped not. Now that I was evaluating my own condition, I realized that Bob had knocked me down pretty hard. I had no way to know if the baby was okay. I wasn't bleeding or cramping and I had to assume that Baby Claudine was all right. I didn't even want to contemplate that she might not be. I moved my hands over my belly protectively. If something had happened to my baby, there was one cat that was going to get skinned and to hell with the humane treatment of animals.
With that horrid thought, so unlike who I thought I really was, I sat down next to Jordun and started to cry. The tears ran down my cheeks, and my chest heaved with the sobs. Jordun, still weak, reached his bloody hand out to me and I took it in mine, holding on tight as if I was blowing in the wind and he was my anchor. I cried until I was shaking with exhaustion, and then I just sat.
Something had happened to me, but it hadn't happened today. Coming so close to death so many times…no…just that one time…when the fairies had taken me and when I had felt so certain that I would die, that I wanted to die at some point. It had changed me and I was beginning to understand something about myself. As much as I appreciated the gentility of my grandmother, as much as I valued kindness and compassion, as much as I had thought I knew what was right and what was wrong, there was a rage and savagery deep inside me that was as inhumane as the fairies, or the vampires. It may have been buried deep, but it was lying awfully close to the surface right now. And I wanted to put it back away. I wanted to be what I was before the supernatural world had invaded my peaceful, if not always easy existence.
Someone had once said, "You can't go home again." It was true. There was no going back, only forward. Only yesterday, forward had seemed a good place and maybe it would be. I had to keep thinking that, and keep looking in that direction.
While I was feeling sorry for myself, Jordun's hand had gone limp in mine. It was daytime and though he could rise and walk during the day, it probably took a lot out of him. He was healing an injury too, and that would require sleep. I got up and went to the bed that he had vacated to come to Eric's rescue and got the pillow and blanket. I didn't want to try to wake him to get him into bed, and I couldn't move him on my own, but I could make him a little more comfortable. I eased him down to the floor, and put the pillow under his head, then covered him with the blanket. It made me feel better even if it made no difference to Jordun.
What I really wanted to do was climb in bed with Eric and stay there until he woke up, but that just wasn't going to happen. For one thing, Amelia was probably in the house frantically wondering what was going on. For another, I had an obligation to make sure that my guards were okay. Hopefully Dr. Ludwig would be here soon and she could give them any medical attention they needed. Then we would need to get some back up in case anything else went down.
I sat on the edge of Eric's bed for a while and smoothed his tousled blond hair, so lovely even in disarray. I kissed his sleeping lips and then headed back up the stairs, treading carefully around the tiger's corpse. Quinn's sword was lying next to him, no doubt dropped when his hands had transformed into the claws of his animal. I picked it up, surprised by its weight, and carried it up with me. If something was waiting outside the door I was going to be prepared.
As it was, there was nothing scary waiting for me when I exited the lair, locking the door behind me. Luis, one of my regular guards, was standing there rifle in hand, looking ready for anything that might approach. He smiled with relief when he saw me and I realized that no one would have been sure that I was down with the vampires, since the last that Amelia had seen was me standing in the garage.
"Are you okay, Ma'am? Miss Amelia is in a frenzy and we have men out beating the bush for you. Mr. Cataliades is here, and the doctor. Are you bleeding, Ma'am?"
Luis was looking at my robe, which had managed to get quite a bit of Jordun's blood on it. I must have looked a fright! I needed a bath and then some breakfast. The men could take over from here, since the women (as so often happens, I thought) had saved the day.
"Yes, I'm fine. Eric and his men are fine too. Luis, can you maybe get me some slippers or something? I left the house barefoot and the gravel is very hard to walk on."
He did better than that, and just picked me up and carried me over to the porch. As strong as he was, I am no lightweight, and he was puffing as he set me down. Amelia was out on the porch like a shot, hugging me and talking a mile a minute, although I didn't really manage to catch most of what she had to say.
"Thanks, Luis," I said and after pulling myself from Amelia's grasp, I looked around. The yard was full of men and vehicles. They were all sporting rifles and they all looked deadly serious. I guess Mr. Cataliades had called in the troops.
"Luis, if you could tell everyone that I'm fine and so is Eric. What about Travis and Mark and Jim? Are they okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am. The doctor has seen them and they'll be fine. They're over at Mr. Compton's place."
"Sookie, come in the house. Where did all this blood come from? Are you really okay? Let Dr. Ludwig take a look at you."
Amelia tugged at my arm, and knowing that I would hear the whole story from her and really wanting to get out of this bloody robe, I thanked Luis again and went inside. It looked like I had company.
Mr. Cataliades was sitting at the table, a glass of tea and a plate of food in front of him, talking with the tiny Dr. Ludwig. Two weres that I didn't recognize were standing at the side of the room, well armed and looking menacing. I must have been downstairs longer than I thought for this many troops to be gathered in from Shreveport.
"Ah, my dear, there you are," said Mr. Cataliades and although he rose from his chair and approached me, he hesitated at extending his hand. I didn't blame him, since mine were pretty nasty. He did pull up a chair for me to sit down.
"Are you quite okay? And the king?"
"I'm fine, and Eric is too. He's sleeping. Thank you for coming so quickly and taking care of things here. And you, Dr. Ludwig, thanks for seeing to my guards. Amelia, is there any coffee? I didn't manage to get mine this morning."
"I better take a look at you, Sookie," Dr. Ludwig said and began to reach for her bag.
"I'm not injured, this is not my blood," I said, wondering whose blood I should say it was. "Really, I'm fine."
"Would you care to explain what has happened, my dear?" Mr. Cataliades asked in his usual formal manner.
That was easier said than done without divulging Jordun's secret, but I gave them what information I could.
"Apparently Victor managed to enlist Bob to do some spying for him. He met him, well, sort of, on the night of the Nevada take-over." Victor had met Bob the Cat, not Bob the witch. Victor must have been keeping track of Amelia and Bob for a while.
"Did Amelia tell you Bob's history?" The demon and the doctor both nodded. Amelia busied herself with making the coffee and I could tell by her demeanor that she was mortified about the whole situation.
"Anyway, Bob, since he was staying here, knew that Eric and I were going to be here overnight. He notified Quinn or Victor, I don't know which, and I guess he managed to disable the guards. Do you know what happened to them?"
I realized I didn't know that much of the story really, especially where Bob was concerned.
"He used some kind of spell on them, to put them to sleep. They didn't have any reason to be wary of Bob, since as far as everyone but you and me knew, he still lived here," Amelia said as she brought over my cup of coffee. I picked up the cup and put it under my nose, relishing the smell of it before I took my first sip. Ahhh, bliss!
"When I managed to kick his ass, magically that is," Amelia continued, looking proud of herself, "his spell broke and they woke up a little while later, not knowing what hit them."
"And this man Bob's goal was to capture you for Victor?" Mr. Cataliades asked.
"No, actually, he was just holding me for Quinn. Victor sent Quinn to kill Eric. Bob got hold of the codes somehow (I thought I'd spare Amelia by not mentioning just how) and passed them to Quinn. Quinn was to get into the lair and kill Eric and then, with the ensuing chaos of not having a king, Victor could make his move. I assume he probably already has men in the state, waiting for word that Eric is dead."
"I was supposed to be a reward for Quinn, or at least that's what Quinn thought. But really, I think Victor would have taken me for himself as soon as he could."
Mr. Cataliades and Dr. Ludwig listened intently as I gave the bare bones of the story. How I had awakened early and "heard" Quinn outside. How I'd run out and confronted Quinn, who'd passed me off to Bob. And then, how Amelia had come out to save me.
"And you heard their plan telepathically or did Quinn admit his intentions to you?" Mr. Cataliades asked and added, "The distinction might be important as a question of law."
I guess that supernatural law had to make provisions for those kinds of distinctions. I couldn't see any human court giving credence to my telepathic evidence.
"Both, really. Everything I got from Bob, I got from his head. But Quinn tried to justify himself to me, telling me that I was enslaved to Eric or something, and that's why he was doing it. That, and the promise that his debt to the Nevada vamps would be forgiven and he would get me thrown into the bargain if he killed Eric. The possible take-over, if Eric was killed, I think that was from Quinn's thoughts."
Mr. Cataliades looked pleased at my retelling of the story, as if something I had said had sparked an idea in his head. I couldn't really read demon brains, so I wasn't sure what part of my retelling was significant.
"And the tiger, may I ask what happened to him? Did he abandon his endeavor at the witch's approach? Or from the unusual state of disarray that you present, shall I assume that Mr. Quinn made some further attempt at violence?"
With this question, Mr. Cataliades looked meaningfully at the blood on my robe and the sword that I had carried in and propped against my leg.
You had to love the delicate way in which the lawyer phrased his questions. Years of experience in courtrooms had perfected his technique I guessed. I tried to think of a delicate, and discrete way to answer him.
"Quinn didn't turn tail and run, that's for sure. I don't think he even saw Amelia come out of the house. Let me put it this way. He didn't succeed in what he came for, and I don't think we need to worry about him attempting something like that ever again."
Let them think that I had killed Quinn, or whatever scenario they wanted. I wasn't going to say what really happened, or mention Jordun, until I had spoken with my vampires. One thing I knew how to do well, after years of reading minds, was how to keep secrets.
"Well, my dear. I am so very glad to see that you have survived this little ordeal. I will be coordinating extra security throughout the kingdom in case Victor Madden is unwise enough to take any hostile action. It was a great pleasure to see you as always, Mrs. Northman. Feel free to call if you need anything."
When Mr. Cataliades had left, Dr. Ludwig insisted that she check me for any damage, especially when Amelia told her that I had been pushed down. I wanted to clean up first, but she was not one to listen to arguments, so I complied. She took my blood pressure, and listened to the baby's heart, then put her hands on my belly as she always did, picking up whatever she usually picked up. When I assured her that I had no cramps or bleeding, she told me to call at the first sign of any discomfort and let herself out. I assumed someone was waiting to drive her, since she was too short to reach the gas pedal, but at that point I didn't want to worry about anyone else. All I wanted was a shower.
"Amelia, I'm going to go clean up," I said as I got up from the table.
As I reached the bedroom door, I heard Amelia call from the kitchen. "Don't let the cat out!"