Dead Broke

Chapter 6

I walked into the restaurant on Victor's stiff arm, the train of my white dress fluttering over the gold sandals I'd worn to match. Every eye fell on me. The King of Louisiana emerged from the crowd. I'd never met the man, personally, but from the way he walked—with purpose, I figured this was the guy.

The King of Louisiana (and Nevada, and Arkansas) appeared to be of Spanish origin. He had beautiful olive skin and long black hair. His sideburns were perfectly manicured, and he had a brief but attractive moustache. He reminded me of Antonio Banderas in those Zorro movies. That was certainly a good thing. The King was wearing a black evening jacket over a partially unbuttoned white shirt. He had curly black chest hair. His black pants were slightly pleated and perfectly tailored. The man looked good, sort of a Spanish James Bond. He wasn't as attractive as my Viking, but he certainly matched Bill Compton in the good genes department. I wondered how he would look in a pair of good jeans. Mmm.

The King took my hand and raised it to his lips. I couldn't help but blush. I felt like the belle of the ball. He touched the small of my back to guide me into the room. The gruff and steely Victor fell away and there I was, Sookie Stackhouse, arm candy.

"Miss Sookie, allow me to introduce you to some of my friends." I wondered if the other vampires were his friends. My eyes drifted to their companions. I recognized Stan Davis of Texas in the corner, a beautiful brunette in a stunning blue gown draped over his shoulder. She was gushing to him about something. I probed her brain a little. Can't wait for the entertainment on Sunday night. I wonder if the King would ever do me that honor. I'm sure I'm as special as she is. I wonder if that's her. Stan was getting up, his date still perched on him as if she couldn't walk on her own. The King of Texas nodded to me. I nodded back.

"Ah, Stan. Do you know Miss Sookie?" Felipe (hey, it's just easier) had a smooth if quiet voice. It was tinged with the slightest Spanish accent. I wondered how old he was.

"We've met a few times," Stan said without emotion. His date was staring at my dress. I hoped my seams hadn't popped. The bodice was really tight around my breasts which, to be perfectly honest, were too big for the dress.

"It's nice to see you again," Mr. Davis? Your highness? Stan? I had no idea.

"And you as well. I'm glad you could join us so far from your home, Miss Stackhouse."

The King led me around the room for a half hour, introducing me to the leaders of the North American vampire community. I was mixing up names before I finally sat down with a glass of champagne. I felt eyes on me. They belonged to a petite blond girl, the date of someone I'd met but couldn't remember. She looked like a pixie. Her hair was as white blond as Eric's, and it was cut erratically around her forehead and ears. It looked good on her, even if she did look like some kind of elf. She'd worn a lot of smoky eye makeup, and she had on a very short gold dress that drew attention away from her small breasts to accent her unnaturally slim waist. I tuned out the remarks of a vampire toasting at the center of the room. Felipe was lifting a champagne flute of blood.

I wonder which one of them she is, this girl that Master keeps talking about. I wonder if it's a surprise. She's so lucky. I wish they'd pick me. I've been so loyal to him. I've never offered myself to another, not ever. Maybe they will pick me. I'm definitely pretty enough.

I blinked and tore myself away from the train of her thoughts. I had no idea what either of these girls was thinking about. Something about a girl, and some form of entertainment. Maybe it was a dance or a binding ritual or a sex act that I'd be forced to watch. Boy, I hoped not. I didn't need to watch any more ritual sex. The pack master ceremony had been way too much for me. Vampire sex, in my experience, tended to be less violent, but I didn't care. Sex was something you didn't witness live, unless you were the one doing it. I shivered. Felipe removed his coat and slipped it over my shoulders.

Inside my evening clutch, gold like my bodice and shoes, my phone was buzzing. I couldn't answer it. I was working. Eric would just have to wait.

The cocktail party went on for another hour. There were toasts and speeches and congratulations. Finally, when I thought I would fall asleep from the boredom, Felipe got to his feet and pulled me to mine. I followed him out of the restaurant. It was getting late, but it appeared we had another engagement to attend.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we drifted out of the room.

"We have tickets to see a private showing of the Circus."

"Sorry, the Circus?" Like with elephants?

"Yes. It is called the Circus of the Sun, but it takes place at night, in water. I believe it is actually a kind of water ballet." I nodded thoughtfully. Well, alright then. That sounded different. Felipe went to fetch his driver, and I peeked at my phone. Eric had left me another message. I touched a few buttons and the message displayed on the screen.

Call me before the sun rises. E.

I sighed. He was really worried. I got into the car with Felipe and tucked the phone back into my purse. Victor sat across from us in the car. I wondered if he was Felipe's bodyguard, the same as Andre had been for Sophie-Anne. He was staring at me again, and I wished I could break into vampire thoughts.

Before we took our seats in the theater, I excused myself to go to the ladies room. There were other women in there as well, dates of a few of the vampire leaders. I crouched on the toilet with my skirt up around my waist. I opened the phone and typed a message back to Eric.

Can't. At some sort of circus. Will be here until after sunrise your time. Will leave a message before I go to sleep. Sookie.

After all, I didn't want him to worry.

When I got up from the cool porcelain seat, a thought broke into my brain. I leaned back against the stall wall and listened. I wish they'd just cut to the chase already. We all know he's picking her. I think it's the breasts he likes. Somebody sure blessed her with a good pair. I wonder if the curtains match the drapes. If you dye your hair before you die, does it wash out?

I blinked and stepped out of the stall. Okay, Sookie, there's definitely something weird going on around here. I walked back into the theater and took my seat beside the King. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to focus on the ballet, or circus, or whatever. The music was beautiful and the stunts were breathtaking, but all I wanted were answers. I opened my mind to the small crop of humans around me, but their minds were on the show now. I felt my phone buzz again and Felipe looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders and pretended to ignore it. I knew it was Eric. More than that, I knew I needed to talk to him.

As I had predicted, the performance let out quite late. Felipe's driver took me back to the villa and the King escorted me inside. We stood in the foyer for several minutes. I looked awkwardly at the floor. Felipe burrowed his eyes into me.

"You have his scar on your throat," he said after a long stretch of anxious silence.

"It's fading," I murmured. His hand reached out and stroked my throat. I couldn't help but shiver. I tried to imagine Eric's hand in the same place. That didn't make it easier. In fact, I was a little creeped out by the sensation of the King's hand.

"Tell me, how long have you been bound to the Viking?"

"Since the conference in Rhodes," I replied. I wanted to shrug off the dress and crawl under the covers. I suddenly ached for Mops. Everything was unraveling. I was uncomfortable and cold and Felipe was bugging me. It was nearly dawn. I was so tired.

"He hasn't tasted you since." That wasn't a question. A shiver of disgust crept up my spine.

"I will leave you to your toilette. There will be a dress provided for you tomorrow evening. Sleep well, Miss Sookie."

The King bent his head and kissed my cheek. I wanted to brush him away but he wasn't specifically being rude, and I didn't want to get fired. He turned and walked away, letting himself out. George was lingering somewhere but I felt so gross that I needed to be alone.

I practically ran down the hall to the bedroom. I shimmied out of the dress, kicked away the shoes, and dumped the earrings on the dresser at the foot of the bed. George had turned down the sheets and I slumped into them. I remembered my promise to call Eric, but I couldn't find the energy to get up again. I'd call him before sunset. He wouldn't get the message until after five anyway. I shuddered when the thought of Felipe touching me snuck back into my brain. Ew ew ew!

It took me a long time to fall asleep.

And it took even longer to wake up. I stretched and opened my eyes. Somewhere, my phone was vibrating insistently. I scrambled around on the floor until I found my evening bag. I answered it on the last ring.

"Sookie! Finally!" Eric. He sounded really pissed.

"I'm sorry. I was so tired when I got home this morning. I'm fine. Everything's fine." I was full of it. I wanted to tell him about the thoughts I'd heard.

"Damnit, Sookie! When you say you're going to call, you call! I'm a thousand miles away! I'm worried sick! If that sonofabitch touched you…hurt you…" He swore a blue streak. At least, I think he did. That wasn't a language I recognized.

"Eric, please…" I whispered into the phone. George was looking in. I was naked. I pulled the blanket up around my chest. George slipped back out.

"What did he do to you?" He was really, really angry. Possessive. Scary. I knew his fangs were out. His eyes were bright and blazing. He was ready to kill first, ask questions…well, probably never.

"Nothing," I breathed. That was a lie. I shuddered when I remembered him touching my throat. He'd known Eric hadn't bitten me in several months. I didn't know how he knew, but the fact that it did scared me. "He introduced me to the other Kings and Queens. I saw the King of Texas again. We went to some kind of ballet circus thing. Then he took me back to the hotel."

"When I woke up, I had this feeling… I didn't like it." Could he sense the bond from this far away? Really? Or was he just being paranoid, just worrying.

"I'm fine." Except I wanted to be home, in my own bed, in my jammies, snuggling my Viking.

I finally got off the phone with Eric. George came in to tell me that the other women had invited me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant inside the hotel. I got dressed quickly and put my hair up in a makeshift bun. I was out the door in a jiffy. It wasn't until I got to the restaurant that I realized I'd forgotten my phone.

That night, I was to attend a dance with the King, and I'd have no time to change between dinner with humans and the evening's events. Thus, I showed up at dinner as overdressed as the rest of my party. This dress was vintage, one of a kind. It was white again, and I assumed Felipe had a preference for white gowns. The entire dress was decorated with silver beads, and it had only one shoulder. Once again, I'd been unable to wear a bra of any kind. The dress was open across the back with only a chain of diamonds crossing from the single shoulder to the waist on the other side. I would have felt more like a princess if I hadn't been worried about my phone, sitting on the floor of the villa bedroom.

I ordered dumplings from a cart, and I shared a bowl of rice with the pixie girl who sat across from me. She seemed enamored with my dress, or maybe with me. I wasn't sure. I opened my mind to her thoughts. Suddenly, I was flooded with the thoughts of every girl at the table. Strangely, they were all thinking the same thing.

It's definitely her.