a/n Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. This chapter is extra long to make up for it! *gives puppy dog eyes* You'll forgive me, right?
a/n Thanks, as always, to my awesome beta, Northwoman. She recently participated in the Deadpan Contest and since it's all over and the awards have been given I can say that I know which one is hers and that I've read it and that it's amazing. It didn't place this time - the entries were all so amazing - but I know it was close. Here's the link if you'd like to read it. And you would. So go to http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6058772/1/Flesh_and_Bones# and then come back later for Dead and Blonde :-)
a/n Usual disclaimer: Thank you dear Ms. Harris for your amazing characters. Please don't mind me... I'm just borrowing them for a bit.
Chapter 10
Sookie's POV
When I woke up the next day (much later in the afternoon than I had anticipated), I immediately called Gran to let her know that we arrived safely. We chatted for a few minutes, and then I set about getting ready to meet The Queen. Eric hadn't told me anything about her other than the fact she was a decent ruler and had gained Eric's respect. I didn't think that many creatures could claim such a fact, so I was impressed from the word go. I will admit, though, that I was at a loss on how to treat a queen; it's not like I'd ever met one before, unless Miss Teen Renard Parish counted – and she was a total witch.
I soaked in a luxurious bath for a while, thankful for the time to relax a bit and trying to decide what to wear. I was still a little uncomfortable with the result of the shopping trip, and I vowed to myself to work my telepath booty off to earn it. Even if it was odd to me that someone would offer to buy me a fortune's worth of clothes, I could at least show them that I was grateful. Eric had said that I was to be dressed "appropriately" for dinner, and I was still puzzling over what that meant exactly. I hoped Pam would come by and give me a pointer or two.
After my fingers and toes had gotten all wrinkly, I managed to get myself out of the calming warm water (and Jacuzzi jets) even though I felt like warm Jell-O. I blew my hair dry, curling the ends under as I went, and then put on my makeup. I was still standing in my robe, going through the closet full of my new clothes when Eric appeared behind me.
"Eep!" I squeaked eloquently as he pressed a kiss to my neck and wrapped his arms around me, which of course made him laugh at my expense. I turned around to glare at him, but was met with smoldering eyes and lips crashing onto mine.
"Good evening, Lover," he whispered, running his hands under my robe. I tried to slap them away, honest, but it just wasn't working. My brain wasn't sending the signals right.
Unfortunately… I mean, luckily, Pam burst in just then. "Sookie! Let's get you dressed!"
Eric growled a little at her, which I found amusing, and apparently so did Pam, because she put a hand on his chest and pushed him away from me. "Oh stop it, Viking," she said, "I'm going to make her pretty just for you!"
I smiled at Pam. Thank God she was coming to help me. I was totally out of my league here. She smiled back and plucked a cocktail dress from the small department store I had acquired. "Wear this," she said, holding it out for me to see. I barely remembered trying it on, last night was such a blur. It was navy blue and silk, with little cap sleeves and a ruched bodice that gathered right at the center of my chest in a cluster of jewels. The low v-neck was sexy without being trashy, which is important when you're as blessed in the bosom department as I am. Then, she pulled out the silver Jimmy Choo sandals that I had loved too much to pass up. "And these. Pull your hair half back. Eric should mark you before you appear."
I was nodding along, and then really registered the words 'mark you.' "Do what now?" I asked, my Louisiana twang especially apparent.
Pam rolled her eyes. "This is not the time for your delicate senses, Sookie. There are vampires here who will not put up with them like we do," she said seriously, looking me straight in the eye. A slow grin spread across my face as I recognized the look she had. She was being protective of me. In some people it was stifling (I'm looking at you, Sam!) but it was flattering coming from Pam. And maybe a wee bit frightening. "Eric will need to bite you somewhere visible to help his claim that you are his. It's bad enough you still smell like a virgin."
I blushed. "Pam!" I exclaimed. Geez Louise. It's nice to know I can't keep any secrets from vampires.
She shrugged, walking back to the door. "You don't have much time, Sookie. Don't waste it."
When Eric came back over to me, which was before the door had even closed behind Pam, I was still a little shell-shocked, and if my mouth was hanging open a little, well – who can blame me? Did she just tell me I had to have sex with Eric and let him bite my neck and look fabulous in less than an hour? Let's be honest – only two of those could happen in that amount of time. I blushed a little just thinking about it. Eric's low chuckle brought me back to earth. I looked up at him questioningly. "Does that mean we . . ." I trailed off, the question in my voice.
Eric shook his head. "I will not have sex with you until you are ready," he said in a low voice. "And, more importantly, an hour is definitely not enough time for me to ravage you properly," he added, leaning close to my ear, nipping it a little. Oh, sweet Jesus. I think my knees buckled, but I was too lost in my fantasy to notice.
"So," I began shakily, "How . . ." Let's try that again; I cleared my throat. "Will you get in trouble for me being a virgin?" I asked quietly. I'm not sure which part of my brain was winning – the please say no, there's not enough time part, or the Oh! Eric! Say yes and we'll fix that! part. Some section of my mind still capable of rational thought noticed there was no faction for 'but I'm not ready yet.' Interesting.
Eric shook his head to my question. "They will just assume that I'm humoring you because you are so important to the Queen and should not be frightened away. Besides, you don't smell quite as innocent as you did when I met you. You have been tasted now." Why did he do that thing with his voice? That low, sexy whisper that made my panties start to slide down of their own volition?
He was leering and waggling his eyebrows at me when I finally swung my gaze to meet his. He leaned down slowly to kiss me, and I felt myself stretch to my tippy toes to meet him, my tongue running across my bottom lip in anticipation. His quick hands had my robe untied and pushed off my shoulders before I even realized it. He took my hand and led me to the bed, nudging me to sit on the edge. As I sat, he kneeled down in front of me, pressing kisses to my collarbone then down my chest.
I gasped and leaned back on my elbows when his mouth moved to my breasts and his hands moved between my legs. He stroked me gently through the fabric of my panties and I felt his fangs slide out, one nicking my nipple in a surprisingly erotic way. Eric's mouth made its way down my body and placed open-mouthed kisses through the silky material still covering my wet, swollen center. He pushed my panties to the side and ran a finger along my sex, making me moan. My hands worked themselves into his hair, urging him to use his tongue. "Please, Eric," I breathed.
I heard a deep growl, then a rip as my panties met their end, but when I felt the coolness of his tongue caress my nub I could focus on nothing else. I looked down and met his eyes as he licked slowly up, down, and back again, my breath catching in my chest and my fingers tightening in his hair. When he slid his talented fingers inside me, I couldn't keep from rolling my head back and moaning. He kept at it, licking and sucking and sliding, until I could barely breathe and there were sparks dancing across my vision. Just before I fell off the edge into complete ecstasy, he pulled my hands out of his hair and sat me up. He started kissing me again, curling his fingers up inside me and hitting just the right spot.
I heard myself calling out in pleasure as he moved his mouth to the curve where my neck meets my shoulder, biting into the soft place there. As he took the first pull of my blood, I hit my peak; colors danced across the back of my eyelids. I slumped over onto him to recover. "I am sorry we do not have more time, Sookie," he said softly in my ear.
"S'okay," I said, snuggling into his shoulder but knowing that I really needed to get up and get dressed. He let me laze there for a few moments, then patted my leg and started to stand up. I grinned up at him, and then went to get myself dressed. I put on a lacy black bra and boyshort panties to match then slid the dress on over my head. Eric was there to zip me up before I'd even gotten the question out of my mouth. I walked back into the bathroom to pull my hair back, thanking my lucky stars my makeup wasn't completely ruined.
By the time I got back into the bedroom, Eric was dressed in slacks, button-up and jacket – all black and gray. Of course, it goes without saying that he looked gorgeous – that vampire could make a burlap sack look good, I'm convinced. Pam was there, too, in a pastel pink pencil skirt and jacket, belted at the waist. Their fangs ran out when I appeared. "You look beautiful, Sookie," Pam said, eyeing me up and down.
"Thanks. I have a good coach," I replied with a wink, slipping into my sandals. Eric offered me his elbow and away we went to meet the Queen.
As we walked through the Royal Residence, I couldn't help but ogle. It was so beautiful and meticulously detailed, right down to fresh vases of flowers and charming knick-knacks. The crown molding and marble floors were just icing on the cake. As we walked into a large ballroom, Eric tugged on my hand to get my attention and I followed the quick jerk of his chin across to an elevated, ornate chair.
A small vampire woman was perched in it – she was beautiful and youthful looking. If I hadn't been able to tell she was a vampire and she'd ordered a beer at Merlotte's, I would have carded her – she couldn't have been more than sixteen when she was turned. She had beautiful, cascading reddish-brown hair and was dressed impeccably, groomed down to her eyelashes, it seemed. Eric seemed to be propelling us in her direction, so I tried to mentally prepare myself for our introduction.
When we got close enough for it to be obvious that we were walking toward her, her gaze caught mine and I quickly looked down. Eric stopped us a few feet away. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing his head. "If I could present Miss Sookie Stackhouse?"
Sophie-Anne looked at me again and in a panic, I tucked one foot back and did my best imitation of a proper curtsy from Pride and Prejudice. "Your Majesty," I said, in what I hoped was a grateful acknowledgment, and was happy to see a small grin on her face and her eyes lingering on Eric's fang marks when I stood back up.
"Miss Stackhouse, I am so glad you could join us," she said flatly. "Won't you take part in dinner? The donors are standing over there," she motioned with her hand to one long wall where, in fact, several scantily clad humans were standing, their minds mulling over the vampires present – several of them were coveting Eric – and trying their best to appear decadent and appetizing. Yuck.
Eric cleared his throat. "She is mine, Your Majesty. I would appreciate it if you would allow us to dine privately." Well that wasn't so bad. It's not like he had to shout it and thump his chest.
Sophie-Anne quirked an elegant eyebrow. "Yours, Northman? Are you quite sure?" she said, running her eyes up and down my body and her tongue across her lips. Double yuck.
"Yes, Your Majesty," I butted in with my wide crazy-Sookie smile, "I'm totally Eric's. Totally." So glad I sounded like a redneck Valley Girl. Like, totally indeed.
She sat back and a look of disappointment flitted across her face. "Very well. I will see you in the north conference room at 10:30. Do not be late," she said, giving Eric a stern look.
He nodded again, which I took as my cue to curtsy once more. "Thank you, my queen," he said, then pulled me away. I opened my mouth to speak, but a tiny shake of his head stopped me.
When we got back to our suite, Eric shut the door and locked it behind us. "We must be very careful what we say around her, Sookie. I presume you were going to ask why she moved up your meeting time?" I nodded. "Two reasons, I think. Because she knows I would want more than an hour and twenty minutes to have a proper meal," he waggled his eyebrows, which made a blush start to creep up my chest to my face, "And, because she can. She's showing us that we are here at her whim and will do whatever she wants. And we will, because you're too valuable to get on her bad side."
I nodded again. "Do you think I should change for the meeting?" Eric shook his head. "Do you know what I should expect?" I asked as we sat down on the loveseat.
Eric scooted closer to me and tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear. "I told you everything I know for sure last night. One of the vampires that visits here often – a favorite, we can presume – was staked in their usual home during the day. I know that she has questioned a few people but cannot really get anywhere. I know that she is holding two humans for you to question. That is all I know as fact. I can assume that the humans are being held in conditions you will probably not think appropriate, that they have probably been fed from against their will, and that they will be terrified of you because they will not think you are human," he replied, then took my hands in his and looked me right in the eyes, deadly serious. "Sookie, I need you to listen to me. You must be very careful when speaking to the queen and Andre. They do not have to be as aware of human-vampire relations here in New Orleans as I do in Shreveport. They will not care to hear your opinion of it. Do you understand?"
"Throw my morals out the window. Got it," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "If you think that I'm afraid . . ."
"You should be," Eric interrupted, gripping my hands tighter in his. "Sophie-Anne is one of the only vampires from whom I cannot protect you. She is older than me, and she is my queen. Disobeying her or doing something that is against the best interest of her kingdom would cost me my fangs, at the very least."
That protective look was in Eric's eyes, and Heaven help me if all I could do was be touched by it. Protective instincts meant I had some value to Eric, and hopefully it wasn't just what I could do with my brain. Hopefully? What did my subconscious mean by that?
Eric's POV
This woman had to understand that she needed to tread lightly around Sophie-Anne. I don't know what I would do if I lost her. She's so unique I told myself. That's why I couldn't stand it if she was gone. Such a special talent couldn't go to waste. Unfortunately, nothing in my brain bought that excuse. What had she done to me?
Sookie got up and walked toward the bathroom, so I sat back and leaned my head onto the back of the loveseat, closing my eyes. There was no way I could feed from her again and not completely ravish her. I was doing my best to be patient, but unfortunately I am quite used to instant gratification.
When she came back, she had changed out of her dress and was just wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. "I don't want my dress to get wrinkled," she said when she noticed me looking her up and down. She sat back down next to me and lay down in my lap; I was stroking her hair before I even realized it. "Tell me more about yourself, Eric. It seems we've got some time to kill." She narrowed her eyes playfully. "And no kissing bargains this time."
I laughed then smiled down at her. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. I'd like to know the man I'm supposed to be seeing."
"Seeing? Is that what we're doing?" Some part of me really wanted to know the answer to this question. The other parts were pretending not to care.
A corner of her mouth tucked in a cute half smile. "I suppose. You keep saying you'd like to see me again, and I haven't said no yet."
"You said no the first time," I reminded her, recalling the feel of her hand across my face and the intrigue that filled me.
Her eyes flashed and she scoffed. "Any lady would have said no to that offer, Eric Northman. 'We could have a good time,' ridiculous! Do pick-up lines like that usually get you very far?"
"Do you always take such care to recall what I've said?" I teased. I had a perfect memory of what had transpired, but that would take more effort on her part. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me; I couldn't help but laugh. "My pick-up lines are not what I usually rely on," I said, an arrogant look on my face. "If my incredibly good looks won't get me what I want, I have glamouring as a last resort."
She rolled her eyes again. "Could your head get any bigger?"
I smirked. "That depends on which one you're talking about," I murmured and received a smack against my knee, which made me laugh again. Hardly any creature had made me laugh as much as this one. Unique abilities, Viking? a voice in my head taunted. One day I was just going to have to confess to myself how I felt about Sookie. How much I cared for her. Is that all?
We spent the next hour or so chatting about random things – business at Fangtasia, some of the artists that I'd had the luxury of knowing or being close to in my long, long life, some of the fun (and less gruesome) stories I had about Pam and I – but finally, Sookie had to get up and change back into her dress so we could go down to meet the queen for business. I was hoping that Sophie-Anne would take it a little easy on Sookie, but I unfortunately did not see that happening.
I escorted Sookie to the north conference room – a relatively small room where Sophie-Anne preferred to do her personal business – and all hopes were dashed when I saw not only that bastard Andre lurking outside the door, but also a short, buxom blonde that looked just enough like Sookie for me to assume it was her cousin, Hadley. Shit.
Sookie's POV
I sensed rather than saw Eric's stride falter as we approached the room where we were supposed to be meeting Sophie-Anne. I followed his gaze to a door not ten feet from us and was slightly confused at first, since all I saw was a short, young-ish looking vampire with short white-blonde hair. He was standing "at attention" and the ferocious, predatory look in his eyes made him downright creepy – it was not at all the shivery predatory look that Eric gave me. Right before my gaze slipped behind him, I concluded that it must be Andre by the stiff nod he was giving Eric; but then, my eyes alighted on a blonde figure I could only see in profile, staring off into the distance. Unfortunately – or fortunately, I hadn't quite decided – I would know that figure anywhere, since it struck such a similar silhouette to my own.
"Hadley?" I gasped.
Her head swung around abruptly. "Sookie?" She paused, looking at me closely. "Sookie! Oh my God, I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" she cried, coming over to grasp my hands and pull me close in a hug. It took a few seconds for me to get over my shock – I hadn't heard anything about her state or whereabouts until Eric mentioned her, allowing me to hope she was alive – but I put my arms around her and squeezed back. Her cold temperature was only slightly weird, and I guess I couldn't tell Gran she was alive, per se. But she appeared to be in good health. Do vampires even have another kind of health? Some part of my brain wondered, but I shook the thought away, smiling at my cousin. She was still my cousin, after all, alive or undead.
"It's so good to see you, Had! How've you been?"
She smiled, but then it vanished and her brows tucked in as she leaned in to whisper, "Sook, I'm good but I'm afraid it's my fault you've been sucked into this mess. I never should have mentioned you to Her Majesty, but," here she had the grace to pause, and I'm sure she would have blushed if her heart could have pushed the blood to her face, "I wanted to impress her."
I grinned and said, "Oh, don't worry about it," with a wave of my hand. It's no big deal that I'm working for vampires now. And I might be falling big time for one. Crap. Those thoughts just came barreling out of nowhere, sometimes.
Hadley smiled back. "How's Gran?"
"She's good," I answered, thinking it wise not to mention the truckload of money Hadley owed her. "Jason's good too; well at least as good as he ever is – he's still got a new woman every week." Hadley laughed and nodded. Jason had been a womanizer since the sixth grade.
I was trying to think of something else to say – what do you say to the cousin you haven't seen in years? Now was definitely not the time to mention Aunt Linda (Hadley's mom) had lost her battle with cancer a few years back. If Hadley didn't know . . . surely she does. Right? Luckily, before I could struggle too much more with that thought, Eric motioned me back over and we approached the double doors of the conference room. Saved by a vampire, I thought, casting a smile and wave back toward Hadley. Thank God.
Of course, then I walked into a small room with Sophie-Anne and two huge, brutish vampires that had to be Sigebert and Wybert. Andre (I think) followed us in and shut the door. I forced myself to focus on my breathing; it wasn't like I was the one being questioned, so why was I so nervous?
Sophie-Anne was seated at the head of a large conference table and she nodded to the seat to her right. Eric pulled it out for me and I sat down as gracefully as possible. The queen was studying a few documents on the table in front of her and began without looking up, "Mr. Northman, we will not require your presence tonight. You are dismissed." Eric opened his mouth like he was about to say something, "You are dismissed, Eric."
She waited while Eric walked out of the room and my stomach jumped a little at the look he gave me as he walked out, but then Sophie-Anne caught my eye and said, "Sookie, as I am sure Eric has made you aware, there are vampires dying in my area during the day. I would catch the bastards myself, if I could, but humans can be unreliable as witnesses." She smiled wryly. "They're so fickle."
She continued. "I have held two humans that I believe may have some information. One was the pet of the vampire that was sent to her final death just this past week – the most recent. There was no sign of forced entry into the house or into the sleeping chamber. This vampire's coffin had been opened and the sun-safe shades had been opened all around the room."
"The first death was not so elaborate or well-planned. There was no evidence of breaking in, but there were signs of a struggle inside the vampire's chamber. That vampire was staked in their coffin and we've not been able to discern who the struggle was with. The scents that were left behind were not familiar to any of us in either case."
Sophie-Anne looked up at me, fury in her gaze. "I assure you, Miss Stackhouse, that I do not take these killings lightly and I will expect for you to do the same."
I nodded. "Who is the other human?"
"The other human is a servant of the first vampire killed. He was found on another level of the home unconscious. We're hoping his memories may hold some clues, but," she raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "he is having trouble accessing them at the moment."
"What are their names, Your Majesty?" I asked. Anything would help to make them more comfortable. Thinking, "Oh my god what's going on?" was bound to not be very helpful.
"The names of the vampires?"
"Well, of everyone. The more specific the question I can ask, the more specific the thought." I laughed a little. "People don't very often think man I wish I hadn't let that vampire killer named Bob Smith who lives on 123 A Street in to kill my lover, unfortunately."
Sophie-Anne narrowed her eyes. Apparently she didn't have her sense of humor with her tonight – if she ever had one. "Very well. The vampires that were killed were called Gustavo and Katharina. The humans are Jodee – the pet – and Fabrizio." I was only a little jealous of the fluid way the foreign names slipped off of her tongue.
"These vampires were rather favorites of mine and I don't want any others acceding to the same fate." She gave a meaningful glance toward the door. "Neither do you, I'm sure."
I felt my eyes start to widen but made my crazy smile slip into place instead. "I'll do my best, Your Majesty." I thought adding Scout's Honor at the end would push her a little too far.
"Very well," she said, motioning toward the vampire by the door. "Andre, bring in the first human, please." I'd guessed right! He was creepy and I was glad Pam and Eric had warned me ahead of time.
We sat in silence for a few moments and then a slender redhead was led into the room; this must be Jodee. Her hair was hanging in strings – it hadn't seen water or soap in a very long time – and her hipbones were sticking out over the low-rise cargo pants she was wearing. She wasn't resisting, necessarily, but even I could tell she was scared to death without being able to hear her breathing or heartbeat – the look in her eyes said it all. Andre thrust her into the seat across from me and she sunk into it like she was trying to disappear.
Why did I ever get in with vampires? she was thinking, images of beatings and feedings flashing through her head. My stomach turned; those were all memories of things that had happened since her captivity here only four days ago. I hope my mama knows I'm all right. Dear God, if I ever get out of this alive, I'm gonna go to church every Sunday and join the choir. I'll never look at another woman again so I won't be tempted. I'm sorry for liking girls, Lord. Oh please help me out of this. . .
I did my best to look sympathetic, bless her heart. She was so lost and a clear broadcaster, which would help me, fortunately. Sophie-Anne's fangs slid out and she leaned over in the girl's face menacingly. "You answer every question this woman asks you. Understand?" Jodee nodded fearfully, leaning back from the queen, and then glanced over at me.
I can't tell if she's a vamp or not . . . nope, there's the marks on her neck. Wish I could tell her to get out while she can. 'Course if she's already working for them, there's probably no way to now . . .
I smiled and reached across the table to her, hoping she'd take my hands, but she sat even further back in her seat. "Hi, Jodee," I said in a soft voice. "My name is Sookie and I'm going to help you get out of this mess, if I can. Would you mind talking with me for a minute?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Don't guess I have much of a choice," she muttered. I'm in too deep, she thought as the picture of her lover flaked to ashes surfaced.
"Can I hold your hand?" I asked. "Sometimes it helps me understand better," I tried to explain, but realizing that I probably just sounded like a crazy woman. She crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest. When Andre moved toward her, no doubt meaning to jerk a hand loose, I quickly backpedaled. "It's okay, Andre!" I said, louder than I meant to. "I'll try without, first."
"So. Jodee," I said, trying to figure out where to go first. "Where were you born?" I asked. Maybe something harmless to get us started would relax her a little.
"What does that matter?" she asked. Austin, Texas.
I smiled. "It doesn't. How'd you come to be in New Orleans?"
"My daddy kicked me out when he found out I liked girls." I saw memories of the fight they'd had – her father screaming, Bible in hand, telling her to repent her sins so she wouldn't burn in Hell. I blinked a few times to keep my tears at bay. I wished I could go back in time and tell her daddy the Bible also said not to judge. Jodee continued, "So me and my girlfriend loaded up her car and started driving," What's that got to do with Kat? "We'd heard New Orleans was a real friendly town so we headed here. I was with her for a couple months when we got into the vampire scene."
"When did you meet Katharina?"
A smile skimmed across her face but quickly vanished. "About six months ago." The scene played out in her memory – a dark bar, several drinks, a lithe blonde flirting with her. "Bree and I had broken up, so I was alone and Kat was so nice to me." Bought her drinks, took her home.
"So you've been seeing Kat for six months?"
Jodee shrugged. "Off and on for a while, at first, but I guess about three months back she invited me to move in," and bought her presents, accepted her for who she was. "I thought she loved me," she added quietly.
"Thought?" I asked.
Jodee shot a glare at Sophie-Anne. "A few weeks ago, Kat was invited to some kind of party and came back raving about some high and mighty vampire, The Queen, she said, and how she was so beautiful and how she wanted Kat to be around more often." Her pain and jealousy shaded her memories. She'd been heartbroken. "I hadn't seen her much until about a week and a half ago. She came home and wanted me, just like before." The visual with that statement was a little TMI for me, but I could see that Jodee had been happy, but she started thinking about the day Katharina had met her final death and her thoughts became dark and cloudy.
"What happened, Jodee? The day Kat died? Did you see anything unusual?"
Her eyes swung up to meet mine. How did she know I was thinking about that? She shook her head and her eyes filled up with tears. "I'd been sleeping in the other part of the house and didn't hear anything. I was the one that . . ." she choked up a little, then cleared her throat and went on, "I found Kat that night." All of this was true, at least as far as Jodee knew. The images in her head went right along.
"Is there anything else you could tell me?"
Her memories shot back to a couple of nights before, to a whispered conversation she'd overheard. Another housemate, on the phone and they had sounded tense. "I said I would let you know when I can help you. There are too many ears here, I can't talk. I know I can get you in, it's just a matter of time." There'd been a pause, and then a resigned answer, "Yes. The room Kat sleeps in is full of windows."
"Who was it?" I asked. "On the phone, that night."
She answered before she could think better of it. "That was Bree, my ex. She had been coming over some with a group of our friends while Kat was gone. I'd given them a tour of the house and . . ." she stopped abruptly. "Wait a minute – I didn't say anything about someone on the phone!"
I leaned back and looked at Sophie-Anne. "It's all true," I said. "Jodee didn't have a thing to do with Katharina's murder. I expect we need to track down this Bree character and ask her a few questions, but Jodee's done all she can."
Sophie-Anne nodded then looked to Andre. "Get this girl a shower and a good meal, then make sure she can't remember any of this."
"No!" Jodee shrieked. "Kat was the best thing that's ever happened to me! You can't take her away!" Andre pulled her out of the chair and toward the door, kicking and screaming.
"But Your Majesty, she," I started to protest, but the look on Eric's face earlier when he warned me to be careful swam into my vision, so I hesitated.
"I understand that you're a little delicate where humans are concerned, Sookie Stackhouse," she cut in, her eyes boring into mine, "but do not worry your pretty little head about the decisions that I make because I can ensure your head never worries again. Is that clear?"
"Your Majesty," I said intensely, not breaking her gaze, "With all due respect, that girl will cause no harm to you or your kingdom with her memories intact. She is innocent!"
Sophie-Anne shot out of her chair and was leaning over me, fangs bared and growling. Suddenly I wished Eric was sitting next to me. "It will do you good to remember your place, telepath," she spat. "You are still proving your value to me."
I nodded, my back pressed as far into the chair as it would go. "I'm, I'm sorry," I stuttered, wishing she would sit back down. She finally did, slowly and without taking her eyes from mine. My heart started sliding back into my chest where it belonged.
"I think we've had enough for tonight. You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, quickly getting up and walking to the door. "Good night," I said as I exited, just for good measure. I didn't see Eric anywhere around, so I walked as fast as I could back to our room, praying my tears would stay put until I got there.
I just couldn't believe how they had treated Jodee – and then to glamour her to remove some of her happiest meetings. It was just so cruel. That poor girl had been fed on against her will – and painfully so – and starved and forced to take care of her needs in a bucket. They had been keeping her in a cell with no windows and no bed. What kind of creatures had I decided to work for?
I burst into the door of our room and collided with a wall of vampire chest. Eric's arms flew around me and I couldn't keep my tears back anymore. He stroked my hair and rubbed my back until I could catch my breath. "Was it that bad, Sookie?" he asked gently.
"Oh, Eric," I sobbed into his chest, "They're so evil! They're nothing like you!"
He pulled me to the sofa and into his lap as he sat down. "Sophie-Anne is still trying to get her bluff in on you. I think it will get better with time."
"I don't know if I can do more time, Eric," I said seriously. "They are treating that poor girl like an animal and she hasn't done anything!"
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead. "I am sorry I could not be there with you," he whispered, squeezing me tighter.
I gazed up into his eyes, his perfect face marred by my watery eyes. "Me too," I said then took a deep breath. "I'll finish this assignment and then I'll decide. But the images in that poor girl's mind, Eric . . ."
"I know," he said, "I can imagine."
I just couldn't stand to have those pictures in my head anymore, so I did the only thing I could think of. I leaned in to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He returned it hesitantly, which was a first for him, so I pulled back and looked up questioningly.
He smirked a little. "Sookie, I want to be here for you, honestly, but with you in my lap and your mouth on mine, I will have a very hard time being supportive."
Pushing thoughts of Jodee aside, just for now, I made a final decision. "Eric, I need you to help me forget, just for a while."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? This will probably be the only time I will have enough of my mind to ask, so make it count."
I leaned forward slowly and whispered, "Help me forget, Eric," moving to kiss him again, a little harder this time. "Please."
Eric growled, low in his chest and stood up with me in his arms, kissing me back. He started walking toward the bedroom and nuzzled me. "It will be my pleasure," he said, his eyes smoldering. "And yours."
*fans herself* My pleasure, Eric? Yes please! :-)