Dark Desire – Chapter 13
Sitting in Bill Compton's living room with Eric, Bill and Sookie, Judith asked, "Where are you, Katy? Where have you been? Eric has been searching all over for you. He's been worried about you; we all have. Are you okay?"
From her motel room in Carlisle, Arkansas, Katy answered, "No, I am not okay. Judith, I need your help if you are willing. Doc told me once that you own several apartment buildings around Little Rock. If you have any empty apartments, I would like to rent one from you. I can pay top dollar. I need a place to stay for a couple of weeks where no one can find me. I need a place where I can be safe until I figure out what I am going to do."
"I don't understand. Aren't you with Witness Protection now? Can't they keep you safe?" Judith asked from her end of the phone.
With bitterness heavy in her voice, Katy said, "I was with them until a until a couple of days ago. I ran away from them. I don't feel safe with them anymore. I found out that they were lying and keeping things from me. My aunt died six months ago, and they never told me until two days ago. Those SOB's never even let me know she had been sick for a year. If I hadn't insisted on seeing her, I would never have known she was dead."
"What do you mean, you don't feel safe? Has anything happened to make you feel that way?" Judith anxiously asked her. Eric got up from his chair and moved over to sit beside Judith on the sofa. He leaned close to Judith, listening intently to Katy's words.
"I have been with Gwen Jameson, my handler and three other federal marshals ever since the night I left the palace. Three days later some men with guns found out where I was staying. They broke in the front door while my agents got me out the back door. The men fired on us and the marshals fired back. One of the marshals was hit in the chest in the shootout. I understand he survived, but just barely. You may have heard about it on the news, only it was reported as a drug bust gone bad."
The thought that Katy had been shot at infuriated Eric. It also terrified him on a gut deep level. A deep guttural snarl erupted from his throat as he tried to snatch the phone. He was going to order Katy to stay put was until he could get to her.
Judith correctly guessed his intentions and quickly turned aside so he couldn't grab the phone out of her hands. Sookie moved to his other side and took one of his hands in her own. She put her forefinger in front of her mouth signaling him to be quiet.
"What was that sound? Is someone with you? Is this a bad time to talk?" Katy asked, suddenly unsure of herself.
"No, it's okay. I just forgot to turn the TV set off when I dialed you. There, I just turned it off." Judith lied smoothly. She continued, "Yes, I did see that on the news. You didn't get hurt, did you?" She turned back toward Eric who was seething, but under control. He made no further moves to grab the phone.
Katy replied with a little laugh, "No, I didn't get hurt, but life sure takes on a different perspective when bullets are flying past your head." Then she got serious, "During the first three weeks, there were two other attempts to kill me too, but at least the men were stopped before any shots were fired. I have been moved to a new location every few days. Gwen claims its only an added precaution now, but I just don't think three attempts to kill me in three weeks was a just a coincidence. I think someone in the FBI or in Witness Protection Service is an informant. Frankly, I have reasons to suspect Gwen."
"And that's not all: When I told Gwen I wanted out of Witness Protection, she threatened to have me charged as an accessory even though she knows I had nothing to do with what my father, Richard and his dad did. I just don't trust her, so I got away from her on Halloween. The FBI doesn't know where I am right now, and for my own safety, I want to keep it that way."
"Well, what are you going to do now? How can I help you, Katy?"
"I need a safe place to stay that's under the radar for a couple of weeks. I have some friends that can help me get out of the country. I have somewhere to go that I know will be safe, but it will take at least two weeks or so to set things up. Will you help me?" Katy asked.
"You can always come and stay with me at my house for a while until you decide what to do, if you want." Judith answered.
"No, I don't want to impose on you, and I don't want to put you in any danger if either the FBI or those men find me again. An empty apartment will be just fine. It doesn't have to be fancy."
"Don't be silly. I insist. Those men would not find it so easy to hurt me; I can assure you of that, and my lawyers will take care of the FBI. They just can't treat you like that. Do you want me to let Eric know about this? He has been trying to find you. He is worried about you." Judith asked looking straight at the viking.
Katy was silent for a few seconds. "No. Don't say anything to Eric, I really can't deal with him right now," she said quietly, but there was pain in her voice.
"But he cares about you. He's worried sick..."
"No buts, Judith. You were wrong. Eric doesn't like humans; you said so yourself. He sure doesn't give a damn about me; he more than proved that."
"Just what did he do to you that night? Did he hurt you?" Judith's eyes shot daggers at Eric as she asked the question.
"No, of course he didn't hurt me, but what happened is between us and is private. Someday, I hope to give that snake bit loser a big piece of my mind for what did that night. I think that overgrown adolescent needs to see a shrink; he has more mood swings than Sybil has personalities, and I just can't deal with him right now. No disrespect intended, but if the price of your help means I have to see or talk to Eric, I will find someone else to help me." Katy declared firmly. Eric winced at the anger and bitterness that was clear in her voice. The other three were staring at him as if he had three heads; he suddenly felt defensive and uncomfortable.
"It's okay, Katy. I won't say anything to Eric. Just tell me where you are." Judith replied softly.
"Thank you, Judith." Katy breathed an audible sigh of relief before she gave her location and motel room number.
Judith was pleasantly surprised; she said, "Carlisle is less than an hour from my home. I can have my man pick you up and drive you to my house. I am out on the road, so I won't be home until well after midnight. I am going to call home and make the arrangements. If you need anything, just ask my housekeeper. Please treat my home as if it were yours. If I don't see you before you go to bed, we will talk tomorrow night. If you really want to leave the country, I can help you do that too. I am glad you called, Katy, and I am glad I will see you again."
Sookie gave Eric a scornful look. "Smooth, Eric. Real smooth. I don't know what you did to that woman, but you ran her off. She's in danger now because of you. I hope you know that."
The last thing Eric wanted right now was a lecture on his behavior, but Sookie was right. What Sookie thought was important to him and always would be. He nodded at her, "I hadn't seen her in a week. That night she was in a bar, drinking, playing pool and dancing with some human men. They were touching her. I was jealous, and I said and did some things that I shouldn't have. I scared her, so I don't blame her for running." he said simply.
Judith glared at him even more. "You had no right to be jealous! You didn't see her in a week because that was what you and Daniel planned, that wasn't her fault. You could have at least called her, you know. That week you were out with a different woman every night. The papers were full of pictures of you kissing and groping those skanks. Did you ever stop to think how Katy may have felt if she saw those pictures? Besides, you were banging those whores from downstairs every night. I know because I was there, and those fangbangers could talk of nothing else. They were taking bets who you would choose; they were making me and my friends sick. What right did you have to be jealous of Katy?" she asked furiously.
He didn't answer her question, instead he snarled at her, "Judith, I don't have to explain my actions to you. I am going with you, so don't even think you can stop me from seeing Katy."
"I wasn't planning to, Eric. If we leave right now, we can be at at my house by midnight. I personally don't think you deserve a woman like Katy, but I am not stupid: I know she needs the protection that only you can give her. With the kind of danger she is in, she needs you right now more than ever. Just don't screw things up this time, understand?" The small vamp said with a smirk on her face.
"Oh, just shut the fuck up, Judith! You're a real pain in the ass; do you knows that?" he answered back sharply. She smirked again.
Bill, who had left the room a minute earlier to use the phone, stepped back into the living room and said calmly, "I've contacted Daniel. He and his men will meet us in Little Rock before daybreak. We should go now. We don't know if Katy's pursuers will find her, but we need to be there if they do. We may have to kill them all."
Eric was taken aback. "You don't have to do this, Bill. This is my problem."
"And you are my king. Besides, Sookie and Judith both think that this Katy Dumont is in love withr you. They think you are in madly love with her, too. Who are we to disagree with the two most intelligent females in the world?" Bill said as he smiled at Sookie and kissed her.
"I understand Judith, but just why does Sookie think I love Katy?" Eric asked curiously.
"Because I can read your mind. You can't stop thinking about her, can you?" Sookie teased. "Besides, I had a vision of you two together the night Bill and I were married. I saw her on your arm. You love her, and she loves you; you idiot."
"Sookie!" Bill and Judith gasped at the same time. They were shocked that Sookie had decided to tell Eric her gift was back. She just shrugged. "I'm tired of hiding it. It's time he knows."
Eric was shocked too. "But I thought Appius destroyed your telepathic gift."
"He sure as hell tried, but Nyall helped me, and it came back a few days after Appius died. My gift is stronger than ever. I can even read vampire minds now, and I sometimes have visions of the future. As I said, I had a vision of you and Katy together when I first saw you at our wedding reception," she said. She was pleased with the reaction she got from him.
For a split second, Eric was angry. "How long have you known, Bill?" he asked quietly, but ominously. He did not like his subjects keeping secrets behind his back.
"From the beginning. I decided not to tell you. Sookie is never going to work for you again, Eric; it's too dangerous, so don't even think about it. If you try to force the issue, our deal is off." Bill said fiercely as he squared off in front of his king. He wasn't afraid of Eric Northman, and they both knew it.
Sookie said, "Don't blame Bill for this, Eric. We both decided not to tell you. The only people who know are Judith, my grandfather, Claude and Dermot. I don't want anyone else to know." She linked her arm with Bill and stood facing the viking. There was no doubt in Eric's mind that those two loved each other. They were a team standing together against everyone and anyone else. He hoped someday that he and Katy would be like that.
Eric's anger quickly faded, but he gave Bill a calculating look. "Very devious, Bill," he said. "That was a move worthy of me. I am impressed. I didn't know you had it in you," he said approvingly. Bill said nothing, but he held his ground.
Eric turned to Judith. "I suppose you knew this too. Is that why you proposed the services of your telepathic friends?"
"Yes, and the arrangement has really worked out for you hasn't it?" she replied.
"I suppose, I should be angry with you, Bill, but I am not. You were only doing what you thought was right to protect Sookie. Smart move. Smart move, indeed!" Then the big, blonde vampire laughed.
Bill, Judith and Sookie looked at each other in astonishment.
Within minutes, the three vamps were in Judith's big SUV and moving fast down the interstate heading toward Arkansas. Eric was driving with Judith sitting in the passenger seat. Bill sat in the back, behind Eric. Judith called her housekeeper and explained everything. She and her husband would pick Katy up within an hour.
The trip from Bon Temps took longer than expected because of road construction. The three vamps spent most of the ride making plans how to protect Katy. Eric planned to take her back to New Orleans with him while Bill, Daniel and his men took care of Califano and his remaining vamps.
Daniel planned to hack AFIS and investigate the humans on the list he had gotten from his friend. One or more of them were pursuing Katy. Once these people were taken care of, there should be no reason for the FBI to insist that Katy testify. If they did, Eric had enough pull with state and national politicians to stop them in their tracks.
That left Gwen Jameson. Eric grew more furious with each passing minute thinking about what that bitch did to Katy. More importantly, if she was the informant who endangered Katy's life, he planned to kill her himself. But everything had to be done slowly and according a meticulously laid plan. It couldn't be hurried. There could be no evidence linking him and his vampires to the deaths of the human scum involved in the child sex scandal or to the disappearance of Gaetano Calilfano and his vampires.
As they rode, Judith said, "You know, you should form a blood bond with Katy, so you can find her if anything else happens." Judith had formed a blood bond with every one of her human companions. She had several before Doc; forming a blood bond was a natural thing for her to do.
Eric had not wanted to form another blood bond with a human, but he regretted that decision now. He said thoughtfully. "I have thought about that a lot during these past five weeks. If we ever get there; I will ask her tonight. But it's her choice. I won't trick or force her into it."
Bill caught Eric's eyes in the rear view mirror. They were both thinking the same thing: Sookie. Eric blinked and turned his eyes back to the road. For the first time since Sookie and Judith tried to convince him, Bill finally believed that Eric Northman actually loved Katy Dumont; if he was willing to let Katy make the decision whether or not to bond with him, he must love her. Bill hoped things would work out between the two. He also felt a huge sense of relief.
In Little Rock, after being picked up by Judith's housekeeper and her husband, Katy asked them to stop at a Walmart's so she could do a little shopping. She picked up some bras, panties, socks, three pair of jeans, tops, an extra large cotton T-shirt to sleep in and a few more items of clothing. She was getting pre-menstrual cramps as her period was scheduled to start tomorrow, so she pick up a box of tampax, some Midol, Aleve, and some other personal toiletries too.
After arriving at Judith's gated estate, Katy explored a little while waiting for the housekeeper to fix a light meal. She loved the way Judith had decorated her home. The small vamp definitely had taste and style. The elegant, but homey house was warm and welcoming, not at all what she expected.
Katy surveyed the many photographs on the wall outside the family room. She was pleased to see her own picture hanging among the many friends shown there. The photo had been taken at a Christmas party a few years ago; she had dark hair then and was sitting at the same table with Doc Hampton and Judith. She didn't even remember that the photograph had been taken.
At 10:30 that night, Katy sat on the side of queen sized bed in a large, but comfortable, guest bedroom. She was brushing her hair as she thought about the events of the past five weeks. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt safe.
She had showered and put on the oversized sleeping T-shirt; it hung down to her mid thigh; it bagged on her, but it was comfortable and it felt good to sleep in something besides day clothes. For the last few days, she had washed her only pair of panties and bra every night and hung them to dry in the motel bathrooms while she slept. They were still damp and clammy when she dressed in the morning. It felt really nice having some clean underwear for a change. Tomorrow she would use Judith's washer and dryer to do all of her laundry; she smiled at the prospect of doing that simple, normal task.
Standing up, she walked over to the closet door and opened it. She pulled off her T-shirt and stood looking at herself. She took careful stock of what she saw in the full length mirror. During the last five weeks, she had been in a constant state of anxiety, and worry. The constant threat of death, frequent moving and the way she found out about her aunt's death had taken a toll on her body and her mental state.
She had lost at least ten more pounds in spite of a diet of fast food that the federal marshals brought her to eat. Although she tried to make healthy food choices, usually her meals ended up being hamburgers or cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes. She often left most of her meals untouched. Her handlers seemed to get fatter while she just got skinnier. Still, the results of the bad diet was showing on her complexion and skin. The red rinse she used on her hair was fading; her blonde roots were showing, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked like hell and she knew it.
She knew she needed a big dose of TLC and weeks of a better diet. She hoped the short stay with Judith would be enough do the trick. After lathering her face, hands and body down with some cherry scented body lotion she found in the bathroom, she put her T-shirt back on. Finally satisfied with her ministrations, she felt more relaxed and refreshed than she had since she escaped from Eric's palace.
Getting into bed, she yawned widely as she snuggled down under the blankets. She fell asleep dreaming about Eric; they were at her house making love. It was her favorite dream; a comfortable dream; one she looked forward to every night.
It was almost two in the morning when Eric, Judith and Bill arrived at Judith's home in Little Rock. After knocking back a pint of human blood from Judith's store in the basement cooler, Eric excused himself and let himself into Katy's bedroom. He didn't have to be told which bedroom she was sleeping in; he was drawn to it like a magnet. He had picked up her special scent well before they even walked into the house.
Katy was laying on her side, snoring softly. She was sleeping so deeply, she didn't wake up when he walked into the room and turned the bedside lamp on low. He had to hold back the impulse to wake her up and take her into his arms. He could sense her exhaustion. He took a quick shower, turned the light off and climbed into bed behind her.
As if sensing his presence, Katy turned over to face him in her sleep and moved close to him. She put her arm around his chest and nestled her head under his chin. "Eric," she whispered softly in her sleep.
Eric held her close to him for hours, feeling her warm breath on his bare chest each time she exhaled. It tickled. He had not made love to her in six weeks and he wanted her badly. It was all he could do not to take her right there, but he didn't want to wake her. As he lay there, he inhaled her wonderful scent over and over. She smelled like orange blossoms, honey and heady spice. All the fear and anxiety he felt for the last five weeks melted away. He began to feel peaceful; he finally relaxed.
At 7:15 in the morning, the sound of the automated shutters closing over the windows made an unfamiliar sound and woke Katy. Her face was resting against a cool masculine chest, two arms held her and a heavy leg was thrown over hers. She didn't have to look; she knew from his scent, it was Eric. Her heart started to sing, Perhaps Judith was right. Perhaps she was wrong. If Eric was laying here beside her, he must care about her. That thought made her happy, but still she had issues with the big being beside her that needed to be settled.
A second later, she felt the call of nature. Her bladder was full and insistent, so she moved to get off the bed. Eric didn't say a word, but his arms pulled her closer into him.
"Eric. It's not dawn yet; are you awake? Let me up; I have to pee. I'll be right back; I promise."
He was still silent, but he relaxed his hold. Katy got up and walked swiftly to the bathroom and took care of her needs. After washing her hands, she walked back to the bed, turned on the lamp and sat down on the bed beside him. She sat there and just watched him for a few minutes.
He was laying on his back now with his arms stretched out, his big body taking up most of the bed. His eyes were closed, but she doubted that he was sleeping since dawn was at least five minutes away. He looked absolutely beautiful to her. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him.
Reaching over, she brushed away a stray lock of blonde hair that had fallen over his forehead and with a lightly closed hand, softly ran the top of her fingers down his cheek to his mouth. She sighed as she traced the outline of his lips, moved her finger to the cleft in his chin and softly touched the hollow of his throat. He quivered a little as she touched him. He was definitely awake.
"I know you are awake. We have to talk, but it can wait until you get up tonight. Move over and give me some room," she said softly as she patted his side.
Eric opened his eyes and looked straight at her. Desire made his blue eyes darken. His smile made her heart thrum. He whispered seductively, "Mmmm, it feels so good when you touch me like this. I like to touch you too. I can make you feel really good for the next few minutes, if you let me." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he opened his arms to her. He laughed happily as she blushed a little and her heart started to race.
She said firmly, "No lovemaking until we talk."
"Why?" he asked sounding like a disappointed little boy. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She looked straight into his eyes, took a leap of faith and opened her heart to him.
Touching his hand, she said, "I love you, Eric, but I am not a whore, and I won't be treated like one, not even by you. I need to understand what happened that night. You crossed the line, and I need to know why."
She continued, "I may be wrong, but to me, the fact that you are here in my bed this morning, tells me that you do care for me. It may not be love, but you have feelings for me, and I want to be with you. But, before that can happen, we need to set some boundaries, so nothing like that ever happens again. Okay?"
"Okay," he said quietly. "I missed you, Katy. I went crazy looking for you these past few weeks. You are my woman, and I want to be with you. We will talk tonight. I have something to ask you too." He wanted to say that he loved her, but for some reason, he just couldn't say the words.
"Good," she said as she moved quickly to snuggle up against him. He sighed as he pulled her close. With sudden flash of clarity, Katy knew for certain Eric loved her. She wondered if he would ever be able to tell her so, but if not, that was okay with her; just knowing it was enough.
"Are you okay?" he asked sleepily.
"I'm better than okay. I'm happy," she replied.
"Me, too," he breathed as the day claimed him in sleep. They fell asleep facing each other, holding each other in their arms. It felt right. It felt like home.