Chapter 19
As I dressed, I searched the dressing room for the purse that I'd been using when Eric was in the hospital. I pulled out the sliding rack of purses that hung on my side of the room. Before Eric and I were together, I generally only had one purse. I'd recently acquired ten more, and the straps tangled together as I hurried through the jumble to find my Vera Bradley bag. I dug through the pockets blindly, hoping to feel the cold metal of de Castro's calling card. I pulled a stack of same-sized cards out of the pocket and began flipping through them. I didn't have time to be neat. I hoped Natalia would not be mad at me that I'd made a mess of the room. I threw my library card onto the floor, followed by my Rent-A-Reel video store card. There was a discount card at Burrito Mike's and finally, the gold card embossed with Félipe de Castro, International Imports and Exports.
If my luck was holding out, de Castro was in Nevada, and would be two hours behind us. I threw on some jeans and a t-shirt. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and threw a change of clothes into a backpack that I'd gotten for carrying around France. I grabbed my cell phone and flipped it open. It was 7:30, which meant that de Castro wouldn't be awake much longer.
I punched the number in as I looked around our bedroom. Eric would be furious with me, but I had to do this for Jason. I closed the door, and ran down the stairs. I would grab a banana, avoiding a lengthy, translation-challenged conversation with Natalia about our honeymoon. The line rang as I ran through the kitchen. Victor Madden answered on the second ring.
"Mrs. Northman, I understand that congratulations are in order, best wishes from Area 19"
"Thank you, Victor. That's very nice of you. I don't mean to seem rude or pushy, but is there any chance that I could speak to Mr. de Castro before he retires for the evening?" I threw a yogurt into a bag as well as a bag of almonds. I took two bottles of water. I heard him quietly consulting with de Castro in the background and was grateful to Eric once again for his blood donation.
"Mr. de Castro is available to take your call. Here he is now."
"Hello, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Mr. de Castro, sir, I'm sorry to call in a favor, but you promised Eric and I'm hoping that as a man of your word that you won't mind just giving me a tiny bit of information."
"That certainly does depend on what it is that you need. How is Eric by the way? I'd heard that you two were in Europe. Such a speedy recovery is unheard of. Your husband is the talk of all the vampire circles. There's been some idle chatter that he is back in contact with our Reverent Mother, the vampire Mahesh-Ra. So tell me, how did Eric recover so quickly?" Something about the way he asked me made me uncomfortable, and I didn't think it would be wise to discuss Meshra. I realized that if everyone knew what her blood was capable of, it would paint a big red and white target on her back and she would have to change everything about the way she lived her life. I didn't want to be responsible for that.
"Eric is pretty resilient. He's a fighter, that guy. Not to mention your generous donation of blood. After he received your blood, he was much stronger, so thank you for that." I bit my lip because I didn't make a habit of lying. He chuckled a bit at the flattery and asked what I needed. "I need to know how to contact the were-tiger Quinn."
"You realize that there is a two-million dollar bounty on the head of one of my loyal and faithful subjects. If I tell you, your husband will kill him and I'll be out of a tremendous source of income." These vamps were industrious and never passed up the chance to make a profit.
"I won't be telling Eric that I've had contact with Quinn, but if something should happen to Quinn where he is no longer able to perform services for you, I will turn the two-million dollars over to you. I swear that on my honor." I had no business giving Eric's money away, but I was desperate.
"As a waitress, I'm sure that you have an excellent memory, correct?"
"Yes, sir, I do." I never thought a king would acknowledge that there was a benefit to being a waitress, but I'd found the only one.
"I do not want you to write this down, as you will not only compromise Quinn, but a few other creatures who are being protected. I have your word?"
"Yes, I swear it on my life."
"Don't worry, it will be." He paused and then laughed for a moment. "By the way, I didn't give Eric any blood. But you're a clever girl and I like that." He seemed satisfied with my sincerity and he told me the ten-digit phone number where I could reach Quinn. The prefix was a neighboring city in Texas. I could be there in two hours if I got going. I thanked the king, and shut my phone. I spotted the knife rack on my way out of the kitchen. I grabbed one of the Henkels and wrapped it in a dishtowel. No sense cutting up a good bag. I slid the knife into my pack and arranged the rest of the knives so that it wasn't obvious that a big knife was missing.
Ravenwood was surprisingly quiet this morning, and I didn't see Anton or Ollie. I walked across the field to the garage and called out.
"Hello? Ollie? I was glad that no one responded. Eric had told Bobby that I was not to be disturbed, so I wondered if he'd given everyone the day off. I checked to see if the keys to the cars were hanging nearby. I looked in Ollie's office and saw that he was a very neat and tidy man. There were pliers, and screwdrivers hanging on racks along with an assortment of wrenches. I pulled the drawers open looking for keys, but found a roll of duct tape instead. I found a length of coaxial cable that I could use as a makeshift rope. I grabbed some shop rags and a can of gasoline. I didn't really have any plans for these things, but they could certainly come in handy. I shoved what I could into my bag, and took the gas can. I found a lighter and tucked that into the pocket of my jeans. I still hadn't found any of the car keys. The only keys that I had on me were the keys to my car. I couldn't take my Mercedes, I'd let Jason borrow it while we were in Europe, and would be recognizable to anyone who had been following him. I leaned into the driver's window of Eric's Enzo. All the keys were in each vehicle's, ignition. I remembered that Ollie had said that hardly anyone even knew what a Spyker was. If I was seen leaving the scene, no one would be able to identify the car I drove away in. The downside to that theory was that the car was so rare, it would be a short list of suspects with Eric right at the top. Except he was vampire and couldn't be out during the day. We could always claim the car was stolen while we were honeymooning.
When I'd satisfied myself with that answer, I climbed into Eric's Spyker and drove down the driveway. I paused at the gate and looked out the rearview mirror. My life would be dramatically different when I returned. I sat and looked at the house for a minute. I thought about turning back and waiting until Eric could help me, but this was my fight. I punched the gate code and screeched down Ravenwood Lane. I was on highway 20 heading west in a few short minutes.
I wasn't sure if Quinn would answer the phone if the caller ID displayed my name, so I pressed *67, then dialed the number. I heard it ring in the car speakers, and I got myself ready to deliver the speech of my life. I thought of Meshra luring Appius into her home so that she could kill him after he killed Titus. Quinn was a sucker for sex and it was the only weapon I had. I hated that I'd have to be unfaithful to Eric, but I knew that he would understand. Then Quinn answered.
"Hello?" His voice was ragged, as if I'd caught him asleep. I didn't respond right away. When he said hello a second time, I cleared my throat and spoke.
"Quinn, it's Sookie." I didn't think about what I was doing, I was on autopilot. I hadn't prepared what I would do in case he hung up, or I couldn't get through. He didn't hang up, he just sat listening quietly as I lied and lied and told him that I was dissatisfied by Eric's cold clammy touch and that I feared that I'd made a mistake marrying him. I told Quinn that I missed his heat, and his animal strength. I told him that I would take Eric's money and move to Memphis with him. He perked up at this opportunity to punish Eric by robbing him and taking his wife. He asked me why he should believe me, since this could be a trap, but I assured him that if it had been a trap, wouldn't someone already be there to capture him. Not to mention the fact that the vamps couldn't be out in daylight. I told him that I could come to him, that I needed a real man inside me. He seemed genuinely eager. He gave me his address, and I told him I'd be there soon. I hung up, pulled the car over, and threw up my yogurt.
I knew that Quinn was on to me as soon as I hung up the phone. There was no way that he was that stupid. But I didn't have anything else that he wanted. I was going to have to catch him off guard. He would be expecting me to come from Shreveport, which was two hours away, but I had waited to call him until I was within the city limits. When he gave me the address, I plugged it in to the GPS and knew that the trip was only 10 minutes from where I was parked. He was going to be expecting me to try to seduce him, but I was going to kill him right off the bat. The thought of avenging Jason thrilled me and I felt myself vibrating as I had earlier when I'd taken Eric's blood. I'd been having internal tremors since I'd taken that last swallow. I knew that I was doing irreversible damage to my body, I just didn't know the extent.
I climbed back in the car preparing to pull back into my lane and I saw a spectrum of colors surrounding every object that I tried to focus on. It was as if my blue car was super blue and the yellow lane paint was super yellow. I pulled out, and a car swerved into my lane. I averted the car, but realized that my reflexes were amazingly quick. Everything I knew about vampires was happening to me. I wondered about the yogurt that I'd eaten. I ate the banana to test my theory. I chewed slowly, wondering if something would happen to my sense of taste. Nothing unusual happened when I swallowed, so I finished it and put the peel back in my bag.
I heard a strange thumping sound as I revved the engine. I was concerned that I'd run over something, or that maybe a tire was flat or had a bulge. I slowed to 55, the thump remained. I sped up to 70 and the thump was steady and regular. I got off at the Robinson Ave. Exit and drove the six miles to the street that Quinn told me to look for.
I pulled up to the curb five houses down from the address and watched the house. There didn't seem to be much movement on this street. It was a residential street with no cars in the driveway, which meant that there probably weren't going to be many witnesses if Quinn decided to start screaming. If I'd had more time to work this plan, I would have started by renting an apartment nearby. I would buy a dog and start walking it on this street. Alternating dog walking with jogging every day at the same time. That would make me part of the background noise of this street. Then I would strike, leaving Quinn dead. I'd continue my route for a few days, then I would disappear into the woodwork. But I didn't have a month to wait.
The car was idling, but the thump was still present. I turned the car off and the thump was louder. As I listened, I realized that I had been hearing my heartbeat. It was slow and steady, which concerned me because my heart rate should have been off the charts, I was about to kill a guy on purpose. I thought about staring into Quinn's good eye and slitting his throat for Jason. I felt pressure in my mouth again, and looked up into the rearview mirror. My teeth were smaller, but no less dangerous replicas of Eric's. I had fangs. They retracted a little when I noticed them, but I concentrated on harnessing my anger towards Quinn and they came out with a soft, but fast click. I wondered if the effects were permanent since I hadn't really been turned. I would have to go to ground for that according to Meshra, but I wasn't sure I was following anybody's real guidelines at this point.
I climbed out of the car, and walked purposefully to the backyard of the house I was parked in front of. It would be easier to sneak up from the side of the house, rather than the backyard. Everyone looked at either the front door, or the back door when looking for trouble. No one went to the side windows. I ran up along side of the house, and found the phone line. With a quick tug, I pulled the cable away from the staples securing it to the house. I pulled the pliers from my bag and clipped the wires. I knew that someone would probably have a cell phone, but it would slow someone down, as the fire department would have to trace the call differently than if it had been a hard line.
The king had unintentionally warned me that there were other beings present in the house, so it wasn't going to be as simple as waltzing in and waltzing out. I was going to have to lure them out of the house somehow to catch a tiger. I reached out mentally and determined that there were three other people in the house I went back to my car and got the gas can. I couldn't set the house on fire, I needed the cover of the house to kill Quinn. I went to the back of the garage of the house Quinn was in and pulled the shop rags out of my backpack. Gasoline burned off quickly and would likely burn off before doing any real damage. Gas was just an accelerant. I needed something combustible. I wrapped my hand with shop rags and smashed the side window of the garage. I dumped a pile of rags into the garage and poured gasoline on the pile. I put the lid back on, taking great care not to get any of the gas on myself. I waited a few minutes for the fumes to build up in the garage. While I waited, I took the dishtowel from my bag and lit one end. I dropped it onto the pile of shop rags and heard a whoomph sound as the rags caught.
I carried the gas can, put my pack on and ran to the opposite side of the house hoping someone other than Quinn discovered the fire. I waited patiently for the fire to grow. It was a roar of crackling and tinkling glass as the windows shot out. if a neighbor saw the smoke and reported it, all this would be for nothing. I took a chance and ran to the front door and yelled Fire! Fire! In a deep voice that didn't sound a thing like me. I ran back to the side of the house and watched as two women and a teenaged boy ran out to the yard. I looked in the window and saw that it was a small utility room. I smashed the window in hoping the sound was masked by the sound of glass breaking in the garage. I unzipped my bag a little in case I had to get the knife out fast and climbed in. It was dim, as most utility rooms are. I crept through the kitchen and saw Quinn just 15 feet from where I stood.
I slid the knife out of my pack quietly. He was punching numbers into his cell phone to call for help. I moved more silently than I ever thought possible. I lifted the knife to plunge into his back but he whipped around and grabbed my wrist. I heard a snapping sound and watched my hand flop over uselessly as I dropped the knife.
"You thought it would be that easy? You thought I wasn't ready for someone to come in here? Stupid Bitch. As if I would still want you."
"Fuck you, you murderer. You killed Jason and I'm going to kill you."
"I didn't kill Jason, but I'm sorry to hear that he's dead."
"You're a lousy liar, Quinn. You went after Eric and you couldn't kill him, so you had to go after someone weaker than you. You're garbage and I'm glad I didn't stay with you." My wrist was throbbing and I was nauseous from the pain.
"So that dead motherfucker sends his little slut wife to do a man's job, 'cause he's too much of a bitch to finish me himself?"
"No, I came to find you myself because I owe you. You messed with the wrong girl."
"What are you going to do? Scratch my other eye out, I'll snap your fucking neck and leave your ass in the woods."
"Try it and see what happens to you. You talk so much shit, let's see it." He rushed towards me and I moved vampire fast suddenly. I didn't know that I could move so quickly. Neither did Quinn. He reached for me and fell towards the wall. I came up behind him and pushed him into the wall.
"What the hell are you?"
"I'm the bitch who's going to hand you your ass. You fucked with the wrong girl." I felt the pressure in my mouth again, and knew that my teeth were becoming fangs. I had a strong urge to sink my teeth into his neck. His carotid artery was pulsing and it was all I could think about. I saw it pulsing and could hear the blood moving in his veins. He was angry and I could smell his fear and anger, thick and muddy in the room. My wrist was already healing and it was a dull throb now.
Quinn stumbled toward me, swatting with one arm. He'd banged his left arm against the wall as he'd fallen into it. I averted his grasp and tried to grab the knife. He kicked me over and I fell onto the linoleum. I felt the air leave my lungs and I couldn't breathe for a second. I sucked air in deeply and heard myself sputter and cough. He kicked my ribs in and I heard a slight snap. I balled up to shield myself from his kicks. I tried to turn so that most of his blows would hit my backpack instead of my stomach. He drew back to kick me again and I rolled over, grabbing his right leg and pulled it out from under him. He crashed to the floor with a loud thud and I rushed towards him. He tried to get up and I scrambled for the knife. He threw himself at me and pinned me to the floor on my stomach.
My cheek was pressed into the floor and he put his hands around my throat. I pushed to get up, but he sat on my back. I was pinned. I saw the room growing dim and knew that I would pass out soon if I couldn't get him off of me. I kicked my legs underneath him and felt his weight shift. I'd managed to get him off of me, and I moved quickly to get to my feet. I'd surprised us both with my strength, and I knew that I had to kill him if I was going to survive this fight. I rushed towards him, with my hands curved into claws, as I'd seen Eric and many other vamps when they were threatened.
Quinn began to change before me. I saw his fingers stretch into claws and his clothes fell away into a pile. He knelt to the floor and his back elongated into the curved spine of a tiger. There was a wild smell in the room suddenly, and he relieved himself in a defensive posture. I got the knife and swiped at him. He pounced on me and tried to sink his fangs into my neck. The knife flew out of my hand, and I had a moment of terror. He would tear my throat out if I wasn't careful. I threw my hands up to protect myself and punched him in the sides. He bit at my face, but I dug my fingers into his ruined eye socket. He retreated suddenly with a roar and I took advantage of his moment of weakness to recover myself. I spotted the knife under the kitchen table and darted under the table for the knife. He was too large to fit under the table. His tail thumped against the wall impatiently as I slid between the chairs and climbed up onto the island. He stood on his hind legs and I thrust the knife between his ribs into the soft white fur of his chest. He growled in pain and fell away from me. He shifted back to human and I was on him.
"That's for Jason Stackhouse, you murderer." I smelled blood and my fangs slipped into place, I began drinking. I hadn't realized that as I formulated the thought, my body responded vampire fast. He stared up at me in horror with one badly stitched eye-hole and one pansy purple eye widened by terror and surprise. He'd survived three years in a vampire's cage fights to be taken down by a waitress from backwater Louisiana. I was trembling with rage and desire to taste the blood that was spurting from his chest. My right hand was shiny and wet with blood. He stared at me with curiosity and horror.
"I'm not a murderer. What are you doing, what the hell are you?"
"You killed Jason and you know it. You couldn't have me, so you came after Eric and you killed my brother. Now you're going to die. Whose the bitch ass now?" I sank my teeth into the side of his neck again, and felt his heart pumping blood up into my mouth. It was so different from drinking from Eric, I didn't have to work at it at all. I just held on, and the warmth spread through me. I was filled with a radiance that came from my chest. I felt my stomach filling with blood and he thrashed beneath me. I was able to hold him in place because he was injured, but he kept thrashing.
"Sookie, listen to me, carefully. I didn't kill Jason. I swear it on my mother's life. On my sister's life. I didn't do it." He wasn't fighting as hard as he had been initially, and I knew that I was weakening him. "Sookie, stop. I swear, I won't tell anyone you were here if you stop. I don't want to die, Sookie, I didn't kill Jason, but I know who did."
I felt my fangs retract and I dropped him. I didn't know what he could mean that he knew who had. I kicked him onto his back and told him to start talking.
"A guy was waiting on your porch the night that you went to that benefit with Eric. He asked if I knew where you were going and when you'd be back, he said he wanted to give you a gift. I told him I'd give it to you. It was that envelope that I gave you when I brought you the flowers. Didn't you read it?"
I hadn't read it. I had left in on my kitchen counter, and when the flowers died I didn't think twice about it. "Who was it?"
"I don't know. He looked like Jason in the dark, but he was older. I didn't get his name. He came to see me the night you got married. He told me that you were on your way to Fangtasia. I would say he's your guy." He groaned as he sat up against the wall and held his hand to the wound in his chest. I heard the door opening and a woman's voice called out to Quinn.
"Don't you say anything or I'll gut her in front of you."
"What's happened to you, Sookie? Eric has turned you into a monster."
I moved vampire fast into the front room and grabbed her before she even knew I was there. I dragged her into the kitchen and took the duct tape from my bag. I wrapped it around her mouth and pushed her down to the floor. Quinn made eye contact with her; her eyes were wide with fear and she began trembling.
"It's okay, Natalie. She's here for me, not you. Just sit quietly, don't do anything crazy. She'll leave soon, right Sookie? I didn't hurt Jason. I would never kill your brother. I loved you, Sookie. I really did." He looked pale and sweaty and I would be surprised if he survived long enough for an ambulance to arrive.
I looked down at the blood on my hands and I felt the dried blood on my mouth and neck. I felt my stomach turning, but I didn't want him to see me throwing up. "Quinn, leave me and my husband alone and you'll never see me again."
I gathered the duct tape and wrapped my knife in a towel that was hanging on the wall. I shoved it into my bag and ran out the side door. There were fire trucks and several police cars along the street. I went to the house next door and turned on a hose that was hanging on a hook. I threw up along side the house , rinsed my face, neck and hands and breathed deeply to calm my nerves. I walked slowly, but purposefully towards the Spyker and climbed into the driver's seat. I adjusted the mirror and pulled away from the house. I got a block away before I felt the tears rise up. I broke down and had to pull over to regain my composure. If Quinn wasn't lying, Dermot attacked Eric, then, went after my brother. He was after me for some reason, but I couldn't think of why. He was half fairy and half human himself. I couldn't think of why he would work so hard to get to me. I had to find Dermot, and I only had a few more hours to get to him before Eric woke up for the evening. I had no idea where to begin looking.