Chapter 7

The King of Dixie

"Everybody leave," said Eric. He carefully avoided looking at Sookie, but his eyes flashed dangerously at everyone else, daring them to argue with him or defy him.

Bill picked up Godric's letter, which Hope had left on the table. "They have a right to know what's going on," he said, "especially Sookie."

Eric glared at Bill, and for one tense moment it seemed like they might tear each other apart, but then Eric dropped his guard. He stared off at nothing and spoke to Bill in a haunted voice. "There's a private lounge in the basement. Pam will show you where it is. Read them the letter. I'll be down shortly."

Bill bowed his head in respect to his sheriff and gestured to Pam to lead the way. Sam Merlotte was approaching the office just as they were leaving. He took one look at their solemn expressions and asked, "Who died?"

The corners of Pam's lips turned up sardonically. "No one…yet."

She showed them into a small, but very tastefully decorated room. Sookie took it all in with more than a little bit of surprise. The room had a decidedly feminine touch. "I've never seen this room before."

"You're welcome here whenever you like," Pam said with a suggestive smile. "This is where I entertain my guests."

"I might just take you up on that," Sookie sulked. Her mind was on what was taking place in Eric's office at that very moment. Now she was going to have to listen to Bill read some bullshit vampire reason why she should be happy about it.

"If everyone would please take a seat, I'll begin," said Bill. Sookie, Sam, and Pam found seats and Bill began to read.

My beloved child, my most faithful brother, my dearest friend,

If you are reading this, I have met the sun. Do not grieve for me. I made this choice freely but not lightly. It is crucial that I pass on to a different realm in order to give you the tools you will need to face the challenges that lay ahead of you.

It gives me great sorrow to tell you that another Slaugh war is imminent. The battleground will be the crossroads near Bon Temps. The Slaugh will number in the hundreds.

I'm sure you remember well the events of the first Slaugh war, when a mere thirty of their number invaded our realm at Glastonbury Tor. We destroyed them, but at a terrible price. Hundreds of human lives were lost along with forty vampires. Three of the seven brethren fell, and you, my brave child, were captured and nearly driven mad. But you survived, and you healed, which makes you one of the greatest vampires I have ever known. Never forget that.

The Seelie fae are doing what they can to defend the Bon Temps crossroads from their side. They can not stop the Slaugh from crossing, but they can slow them down. You must use this time to gather your army. The Slaugh must be killed at the portal and prevented from retreating to the fairy realm. You will need at least five hundred vampires, along with humans and other supernatural beings to accomplish this task.

An army of this size can not be raised or governed by a committee of vampire royalty who are motivated by greed and self-interest. If we are to win this war, there can only be one king of the southern territories, and that king must be you.

You are an old vampire, and you are my vampire. You have the soul of a warrior. That alone gives you an advantage over the current kings and queens, and would give you eventual victory; but we need a swift and relatively bloodless coup. I am sending you a gift that will assure your rapid rise to power.

The woman delivering this letter to you is my gift. Her name is Hope. She is a human tracker – a daywalker – of unsurpassed skill. She has been my blood bonded mate for seventy five years. I feed only from her, and she drinks only from me. My blood is old – almost the oldest on earth – and this has given her speed and strength that rivals any vampire's. As you can see, it has also extended her life. She is adequate in hand to hand combat with vampires, but lethal with a bow and a blade.

There are limitations to her skills. She is not immortal. If she is wounded, she can not heal herself as we can. And most importantly, without my blood her powers will fade. She will weaken, age, and eventually die. She will be human.

My blood flows in your veins. If you establish an exclusive blood bond with Hope, it will not be as strong as the bond I shared with her, but you should be able to preserve her abilities. Perhaps not indefinitely, but long enough to establish your kingship and defeat the Slaugh. The blood bond must be exclusive, or there is a danger that she will be turned. This must not happen.

Use her well, my son, but remember, she is precious to me just as you are. Treat her with respect. Also, keep your human and two-natured companions close. They will prove more valuable to you in this struggle than you can possibly imagine.

Please know that I have not abandoned you in this struggle. When you need me the most, I will be there for you.

With a devotion that never dies, I am now and always your father, your brother, and your dearest friend,

Godric

"That's all there is," said Bill. He folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. The four of them sat in silence, contemplating what the future held for them.

The door opened and Hope walked in. Sookie felt the bile rise in her throat when she saw the fresh puncture wounds on Hope's neck.

"Eric wants to speak with you," Hope said to Sookie. "The rest of us are to wait here until we are summoned."

"Eric?" Sookie entered the office to find Eric sitting at his desk with his hands steepled in front of his face and his eyes closed. The self-inflicted wounds on his wrist had almost entirely healed in the few moments it took her to get to his office. He looked healthier than when she left the room, but not happier.

"You read Godric's letter?" Eric asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Then you understand why I have to do this."

"I understand, but I don't like it. I know how blood bonds work, Eric! It's only a matter of time before I'm yesterday's news and you're telling Hope how much you love her. I know you've got bigger fish to fry right now, but I'm not going to pretend that this doesn't hurt like hell."

Eric opened his eyes and looked up at Sookie. He shook his head and gave a short, sad laugh. "You've got this so wrong, lover. I wish you could read my mind so you could see how backwards you are on this."

"Pardon me?"

"Would we be together right now if I hadn't manipulated you into drinking my blood, or would you still be in love with Bill Compton?"

"This has nothing to do with Bill," Sookie argued. "Bill was unfaithful to me with Lorena. He didn't come to rescue me when I was being held by the Fellowship of the Sun. You did. And worst of all, the only reason he had a relationship with me at all was because the Queen ordered him to. Bill Compton dug his own grave, if you'll pardon the expression."

Eric stood up and braced his hands on his desk. "I never realized how much power a blood bond gave a vampire over a human until this moment. Bill was unfaithful to you with Lorena because I set it up. The same goes for the rescue at the Fellowship. And you don't really believe that he rose in broad daylight to protect you on the orders of Sophie-Anne, do you?" Eric began to pace. "The worst part is, you know all of this to be true, but the blood wants what it wants. It compels you to find reasons to reject Bill and cling to me. Bill rescued you from being tortured by the fairies, not me. And yet you forgave me. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Sookie had no answer for his question. Her mind refused to even consider the issue. "Do you want me to go back to Bill? Because that's sure what this sounds like to me."

Eric crossed the room in a heartbeat and took Sookie in his arms. "No. That is not what I want. That's the fear that keeps me awake in my coffin all day. I love you. I have always loved you. Before a single drop of blood ever passed between us, I loved you. I love you so much that for a moment I actually considered burning Godric's letter and taking you far away from here."

Sookie took his face in her hands and peppered it with tiny kisses. "Oh Eric, you couldn't. I couldn't. So many people—"

He interrupted her protest with a deep, soulful kiss.

"I know," he said. "I intend to follow Godric's orders. I can only hope that when our blood bond fades, and if I live through this, that you will still love me when it's all over."

Sookie nodded resolutely. "And when this is over, and I do love you, you'll know that I love you truly, and not because of the bond."

Eric smiled broadly. "And that will be the happiest moment I've had in a thousand years."

Through what remained of their bond, his joy at the thought of that future moment washed over her like a wave. She took the Viking warrior's hands in her own, smiled up at him, and said, "Let me be the first to congratulate the new King of Dixie."