Chapter 44
This Brings New Meaning To The Term "Dirt Nap"
Sookie's POV
During my three days in the ground, I had very vivid recollections of all that had happened in New Orleans. I relived every gruesome detail and I'm pretty sure it was by choice. I subconsciously needed to make sense of what had happened. The dream replayed in correct sequence over and over. I had been behind Eric, eying the door to the stairwell fearfully. Eric had been on the phone with Pam, telling her about Bill, distracted enough that he didn't sense the danger. I backed into what I thought was the wall and then I felt cold hands pressing in on both of my carotid arteries. This had been an effective means for my kidnapper to make me black out. I assume thats when they stole away to deliver me to the demon I once loved.
The next part of the dream was a recollection of the pain I felt as the hot, searing agony of a sharp blade slicing into my abdomen brought me around. It hurt too bad to allow the breath required to make a scream. I saw Bill's leering face above me, we were outside the elevator where Eric and I had spotted him. I had been such a fool to underestimate him. I saw the retreating form of Jade Flower as she walked towards a set of double doors. My kidnapper.
"Well, Sookie, we are reunited at last. I have missed you, so!" And then he punched me in the stomach, causing me to vomit all over the carpet where I lay. "Did you miss me at all while you were fucking that despicable asshole Northman? Did you think about me at all as I lay suffering in the old Bon Temps cemetery, bound by silver, frying, thanks to Pam, that insufferable cunt? Would you have grieved if I had been captured by the Light of Day fanatics like Pam and the Were had arranged? Would you have felt relief if you had known that your old friend, Sam Merlotte had been looking for you when he came across me, helpless and bound? Yes, Sam was the one who freed me just in time! I told him that Eric had kidnapped you and I had to find you, to save you! Sookie, I thought we had something special!" He slapped my face three times, hard and in rapid succession. "But I find you to be a faithless whore, a slattern in a virgins clothes." He spat in my face and cut me again.
"You were the one who deceived me, Bill. You lied to me from the beginning, you were cheating on me with your maker. Who else was there?" His glare was electric, he obviously didn't like to be reminded that he was the bad guy. I sobbed as the pain grew with every breath.
"Like I could ever be sated by an inexperienced bumpkin like you, you were never able to satisfy me. Sometimes I would leave your house and visit Liam and Diane so they could finish what you so pitifully started and failed to complete."
I knew he was lying to save face. It didn't make him any less of a pig, though.
"I feel sorry for you, Bill Compton. Maybe I would be this bitter too if I had to spend a miserable existence such as yours in the shadow of a great vampire like Eric Northman." He slapped me so hard that I felt a few of my teeth loosen with the impact."
"I think I'm finished with my happy reunion, Sookie." He smiled and it reminded me of a skeleton's smile. He shoved his hand down the front of my underwear and stuck three of his fingers up inside of me. "As you die, Sookie, and let me assure you, you will die here tonight, let one thought run through your mind. I was the first to be inside of you, the first to pleasure you and give you the release you denied yourself for so long." He jammed his fingers further inside of me, his nails scraping away soft tissue and making me yelp. "I deflowered you and you loved it. You screamed my name in the throes of ecstasy first! Eric will never have what I took from you, what you so willingly gave me!" He withdrew his fingers and lifted them to his nose. "The viking has ruined you now. I wouldn't have you again if you were the last human on earth. Filthy whore!" His hands were around my throat and choking me. I was blacking out, I knew the end was near. I heard Eric's voice and it sounded like he was a million miles away. I felt sadness for what could have been. Suddenly Bill's hands released their death grip and he was up and dragging me. I could still hear Eric, bellowing, raging for Bill to surrender. I had no doubt that when I was gone, he would exact a revenge that would be unparalleled by anything before or after.
"Come, lets get an audience for this little spectacle. Time to clear my name and make sure that Eric takes the fall! You may even get to say goodbye to Pam and Quinn before the three of you leave this world." He laughed and the sound of it chilled me to the bone. He really had lost his ever-lovin' mind.
He dragged me into what I assumed was the Queen's court. I saw Quinn's huge form lying in a pool of blood. I could see a faint rise and fall from his chest but I couldn't imagine that he could survive his wounds. I struggled to turn my rapidly stiffening neck towards the sounds I assumed were coming from Pam. I spotted her at the same time that her thoughts made their way to my mind.
Sookie, forgive me. I made a terrible mistake by leaving him alone in the cemetery.
I did my best to show her a smile. Pam, so hard on the outside but inside, there was more human emotion left in her I could have ever imagined.
Pam, there's nothing to forgive. You have been a better friend to me than most people I have known my whole life.
I gasped as I realized that her throat was cut so deeply that she was struggling to keep it proper position. Her body was struggling to heal itself but was unable because of the sliding and shifting.
I smelled Eric as I heard him and before the doors to the Queens chambers exploded inward. I lastly noticed that the King and Queen were seated on thrones, they had been observing this tragedy playing out before them like one would watch a soap opera. That dick, the King, had the gall to yawn. I saw the reason for his boredom, he was ready for this to be ended and he motioned for his bitch bodyguard, Jade, to sneak attack Eric. I heard Pam's thought coincide with mine and together we warned Eric of the danger coming up behind him. She had been disposed of most viciously by my lover, I reveled in the horrified look that had replaced the one of sheer boredom on the Kings face now.
Even though I was in more pain that I could ever remember experiencing, I was awed by Eric. He was glorious in his rage, a terrible, beautiful angel sent to unleash Armageddon. Bill was rambling on like the madman he was, trying to protest his innocence while my life ebbed away into a crimson pool at my feet. I felt myself growing faint and I imagined that I was hearing a voice, unfamiliar but beautiful inside of my head. It had the faintest hint of an accent that I was too woozy to identify. What was it saying? I struggled to listen.
You have the power to save your self and the ones you hold dear, brave one. I can see it in you, a gift you have been given by the gods. Tell Bill to confess, control him and he will do as you say, Sookie. Glamor him.
So I had started talking and much to my surprise, it had worked. Sort of. Well it had worked as long as I had concentrated on it but once I had made my break, trying to run to Eric, I had felt the blade enter my back and the tip poke out through my front. I knew immediately it was a fatal wound. I could feel my left lung deflating and I could feel the wetness on my shirt increasing by the minute.
I have to admit that it was with sick joy that I watched my dark angel avenge me. He had torn Bill Compton in half like someone might split a sandwich in two. There was no more sorrow in my heart for Bill. He had been the monster I once believed Eric to be. The Queen was kneeling above me, pushing my blood-matted hair out of my face and I heard the voice again.
You did well, my child. You have saved me from certain murder and also from the clutches of the traitorous King. Tell me, if you could survive this wound and live eternally side by side with the Sheriff, would you choose to? Do you have love in your heart for him after all you have suffered to be with him?
Her eyes were kind and looked alien in the cold setting of her face.
Yes, I would gladly trade my soul for even a single day more with him. I love him more than I ever thought possible.
Then I shall save you, if he also agrees that he has love for you. Be still and calm your heart, the faster it beats, the faster your life flows out of you!
I heard Eric's words as he first vowed to follow me in death and then as he answered the Queen's question. Did he truly love me? Yes he did.
The next visions are not really clear. I know that I was lying there, trying to reassure Eric as I was dying. I saw the tears of blood fall from his eyes and onto my face. He was so precious to me and I couldn't bear to see him suffer that way. I heard the Queen exchange a few words with him and then she was telling me to open my mouth. Eric's look told me to do as she said, so I did.
Something that tasted wild, ancient, and thick hit my tongue and I felt all my muscles tense up. I must have blacked out because the next thing I remember was thinking I was flying through the sky on my way to heaven. I had never seen such a shade of blue before. Surely this is was the color of God's sky all the time, never marred by black clouds and foul weather. It had taken me a minute to realize that I had been looking into the deep blue of Eric's eyes. Soon after Pam was there and I was happy to see that her neck was healing at a remarkable rate. She had a nervous breakdown on Eric's shirt and I found it funny that after all we had been through on this night, it was a crying female vampire that almost brought him to his breaking point. Especially since he had been crying himself not too long ago.
Eric left me in her care and excused himself to talk to Sophie-Ann. Pam cradled my head carefully and stared into my eyes, her look was one of wonder.
"Sookie, can you ever forgive me for making such a mess of your life? I am responsible for everything that has happened. I was too confident, too worried about proving myself to Eric to make sure things went accordingly. I fucked up big time."
"Pam, I don't blame you for anything and I command you to stop blaming yourself! No one except Bill Compton will ever take the blame for what happened here."
She leaned in close and smiled, giving me a glimpse of the devilish Pam that I loved. "You should know that I lied about you being able to command me to obey your wishes."
I smiled back at her deviously. " Well, since we're being honest here, you should know that you were never really able to glamor me. I'll never tell if you promise not to. Both of our supposed abilities might come in handy if I make it through this." I winked at her and her look of astonishment was priceless.
Eric returned and immediately started planning our return to Shreveport. His efficiency and levelheadedness after what had occurred made me feel even more in awe of him. As he orchestrated everything, I began to worry as I realized that although I was no longer in pain, I could feel nothing below my waist. It was like my bottom half was missing. I decided against saying anything about it to Eric. He didn't need anything else on his plate right now. I lay my head back down and closed my eyes. I concentrated on finding Sophie-Ann.
Your majesty, thank you for saving my life. It seemed like too simple a phrase to offer as for what she had done but I couldn't think of anything else.
You saved yourself, Sookie, I merely aided in the first step of your transformation. A word of caution, if I may. Your gift is a very precious and dangerous one. Guard your secret jealously. I need you to remain safe if my plans are to come to fruition. You need to know that I may have complicated things for you tonight by giving you the blood of a very powerful vampire. Call it a selfish experiment of mine. Just know that there will soon come a time that you will need to seek me out and I will be there, waiting to give you the answers you crave. I do not wish to wear this crown forever and I have decided that it would be best for my beloved Louisiana if I were to begin grooming my successor now. To have you bound to Eric is all the better. He will make up for what you lack in aggression and ruthlessness and you shall make up for what he lacks in fairness and nobility of nature.
Whoa. Nothing like having a cinder block thrown around your neck when you're already drowning.
One more request, if I may. Tell Eric the letters JI stand for Judas Iscariot. He will know what that means. Goodbye, my progeny. I look forward to seeing you as vampire when we next meet. I'm sure your magnificence will know no rival.
I felt myself being scooped up tenderly into Eric's arms. He held me against his chest and I felt for the first time a glimmer of hope that everything might work out. I was beginning to feel some sensation in my lower half and could get my toes to wiggle if I tried really really hard.
Pam drove like a woman possessed. Quinn was propped up beside her in the seat, his breathing labored. I was touched by Pam's concern as she reached to pat him on the shoulder and talked to him, encouraging him to hold on just a little longer. Eric had been on the phone with his day man, arranging for him to meet us at a gas station just outside of Shreveport to collect Quinn and deliver him to a waiting Dr. Ludwig. If anyone could save his life, it would be her. What she lacked in bedside manner, she more than made up for in her ability to treat supes. After making those arrangements he was on the phone with Chow, giving him directions to his sacred ground, specific dimensions for the hole that must be dug, and what should be waiting for us when we emerged in three nights time. After hanging up with the Asian bartender, he offered me his wrist and told me to drink. I knew this must be the beginning of the process of changing.
We arrived at the sacred ground and Eric carried me from the car, both of us nude, to the site. I was scared and excited. He asked me if I still wanted him to go through with the plan of how I had asked him to drain me. Of course I did!
And my last recollection was of him tenderly making love to me as I felt my life blood flow out of the puncture wounds made by my lovers fangs. I felt my body slowing, shutting down system by system and it was an odd sensation when added to the ecstasy I felt from Eric's body moving within mine.
I know now that what the doctors tell you is true, the hearing is the last sense to go. For I plainly heard Eric sob as I took my last breath. And then, there was only nothingness until the dreaming started all over again.
