Many, many thanks to my beta, bajan-martini for her suggestions, comments, and keen eye.

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Chapter 27 – The Penumbra Of The Eclipse

"Fuck off." I quickly side stepped around Eric and continued on my way.

However, I didn't take more than a step or two before I felt a strong hand grab my wrist. The next thing I knew, I was swung around in a half circle and crash landed against Eric's chest.

"Thank you for accepting my kind offer." His upper lip was contemptuously curled up. His eyes were ice blue and cold and his jaw muscles were visible and flexing. It was hard to believe that he could be as angry as I felt.

He began to dance, but I was not prepared and I was almost knocked off of my feet when his body banged into mine. Unfortunately, I had to grab onto him for balance. I heard him chuckle at my clumsiness - so in retribution, I dug my nails into his hand and back. Instead of the expected curse or threat, his response was a sly smile; then he puckered his lips and blew me an air kiss, followed by a wink.

"May I say how lovely you look tonight? I'm sure your date appreciates it. By the way, are you servicing all of them or just your boss?"

My response was an exasperated huff and a roll of my eyes.

Eric was in ripe, sarcastic form. He ground his groin into my hip and laughed out, "Is that a gun strapped to your thigh or are you just happy to see me?"

I shoved him off of me, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to escape his steel-like hold. "Get off of me! God, you're such a jerk! Of course I have a gun on, especially tonight when… when I have to be around people like you." I cut off my statement about the evening's potential danger. I didn't want to engage in any kind of conversation with him. I just wanted to get away from him – and away from the unwelcomed sensations that rippled through my body because his body was touching mine.

He brushed his lips against my forehead and his voice was husky. "We have not talked for a couple of days. The last time I heard from you… you were begging me to forgive you. But somehow… I have a feeling you found solace somewhere else… perhaps in the arms of a certain, third-rate doctor, hmmmm?"

The hair on the nape of my neck pricked up in warning. I refused to answer his question or meet his eyes, and I didn't want to smell his exotic, stimulating cologne any more. I tried to make an escape by twisting out of his arms. When I wasn't successful, I protested, though it sounded more like a whine. "Let go of me! I am not playing with you. Dammit, if you don't let go of me… Let go me! I'm warning you. I mean it!"

I stopped struggling, not only because it really was futile, but because he was enjoying it too much. He was laughing at me, mocking me by echoing back my words, and bending and twisting us around, putting on quite a show that would draw attention and embarrass me beyond belief.

Though I thought people were staring, a quick glance around the room proved that I had nothing to worry about. Those dancing around us were almost as silly as Eric, if not more. But they weren't pretending; the crowd was thoroughly enjoying the music and champagne, and the noise in the room had increased in volume.

Eric pressed his lips against my ear and whispered something vulgar, and I would have been more offended than I was, but his rich, baritone voice broke through my defenses and sent a warm wave of arousal through me. "Is it true love, or are you and the doctor just fuck buddies? I am becoming quite fond of that phrase… If you've taken McTavish to your bed, then you've really lowered your standards."

I jerked my head away from his mouth and practically yelled in his face, "Oh no, trust me, I've gone much lower than that. I've actually had the gross experience of bumping boots with a drug-dealing, lying, two-faced, asshole slut who works with homicidal maniacs!"

"Hmmm… I think you are hinting at something, but I'm not sure…" He quirked up an eyebrow and had the audacity to playfully pretend to ponder my accusation.

"Oh, cut the crap, Eric. I know about your little V factory-"

He jerked me roughly, which instantly quieted me. Then he harshly whispered, "Keep your voice down. Let me get to the point. Where is the V? I found Allitar's remains in his car, but I didn't find his cargo. It's not at the doctor's house… but your coat was. If you are going to kill someone, you should not be so careless as to leave a coat with 'Sheriff' written on the back, just lying around. And don't even try to deny it. Your scent is on the coat and all over the house."

My coat… oh my god… my coat! I wondered what happened to it… I did wear my coat to Liam's… I took it off and… threw it over the back of Liam's couch. Why didn't I remember that? Shit, I forgot all about it. It's been so warm the last couple of days that I didn't need it…

I felt myself being squeezed, not enough to hurt, but just enough to alarm me and get my attention. I lashed out with, "It's inside of me. And Liam."

"What?"

"We drank it or actually… injected it."

"You and Liam were doing V? You were shooting up V like… Wonderful, just wonderful…" We had stopped dancing and were standing on the side of the dance floor. It never dawned on us that we were still in proper dance posture while we continued our hush-toned argument.

"No, you idiot! We were trying to save our lives, because your little courier tried to kill us. Allitar showed up and went berserk. He said something about being demoted and that it was my fault. He threw us both around like rag dolls! I was coughing up blood. I shot him, to stop him from killing Liam and me… I was dying – literally. Liam had to inject me with the V to keep me alive."

"Why didn't you call me?" For a moment, he looked genuinely upset and concerned. But, I wasn't going to fall for any of his false sincerity.

"Weeeelllll, we were a little busy, I couldn't just take a time out and call you. And why would I? What would you have done, helped him? Trust me; he was doing a fine job without you. Oh, fuck this. Let go of me."

When he didn't let go of me, I decided that I had been pushed beyond my limits and that it was time to stop treating him gingerly – it was time to handle him like a true assailant. I stomped my heel down on his toes and then did a grinding motion to cause further damage. He cursed and hopped a couple of times, but he still wouldn't let me go; with a little regret, I kneed him in the groin. When he doubled over, I made my escape.

I was amazed that no one paid attention to our little display, it seemed like everyone in the room had reached a state of staggering inebriation. All the people around me were laughing at everything and anything. It was a little alarming and I had a fleeting thought that they were acting like they had been drugged.

Just as I was making my grand exit, I noticed that Eric and I did indeed have a rapt audience - of two. Bill and Roman were standing nearby, looking amazed and amused, respectively.

I made a beeline for Roman. As soon as I reached him, he grabbed me and pushed me behind him. I heard him say, "Back off, Northman.

Unbeknownst to me, Eric had been in hot pursuit. He came to a dead halt in front of Roman. I peeked around my fellow officer and saw that Eric was baring his fangs at Roman. I felt Roman's body shake as he growled ferociously in return. Bill was stammering out orders for everyone to calm down.

I heard Pam's voice; I looked for her and saw her standing on the other side of a passing congo line. She became impatient waiting for it to pass by, so she broke through it, almost knocking down several people.

"Eric – stop! Eric!" She reached him, grabbed his arm and said something to him in a foreign language. Then to all of us, she said in English, "Don't be fools, humans are around us! They may be drunk but they're not unaware."

With a quick jerk of his head, Eric shook off his anger and retracted his fangs. Pam urgently whispered to him that the queen was demanding his presence immediately.

The vampires took off at a fast clip, Roman and I right behind them.

Roman slowed us both down so that we were out of their hearing range and then asked, "What was that all about?"

I tersely replied, "Typical Eric Northman - bullying and bullshiting."

He looked at me, "Why didn't you tell me that he was bothering you? How long has this been going on?"

"Why don't you fucking answer your phone? You didn't return one of my calls!"

He twisted his mouth in frustration and he took a good few moments of forethought before responding. "I've been busy… moving Twyla to Texas. She'll live there for awhile, until after the baby is born. We're through. I ended it, but don't worry, I will do my duty and will support her and the baby. She has a nice house, SUV… a pool. She's happy, real happy. She's set for life." His sentence had a sardonic undertone and I could tell that some part of him was hurting over it.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. We continued on in silence until we arrived at a private office somewhere in the core of the mansion. Upon entering the room, Eric, Pam and Bill joined the queen and her entourage on one side of the room. Roman and I moved over to the other side of the room and stood with A.J. and the other werewolf alphas.

Our entrance did not stall the heated conversation that was taking place. A.J. and the Queen were lashing back and forth - arguing about the missing V shipment… Oh shit.

Upon entering the office, the Sophie-Anne was on the attack, "… it was over fifty pints of V, worth more than a quarter of a million dollars, and somehow all we could find is a dead vampire's remains on an abandoned road? How can you– "

"Oh, well, Sophie-Anne... that's yer problem, not mine. I'm not the one in trouble with the IRS-"

"We had a deal!"

"We sure as hell did, and I've held up my part of it. I've looked the other way! Now – it's yer problem because yer own people ripped ya off."

Oh – fuuuuccccckkkkk! Damn, A.J. and Roman, you're both involved in the V ring? Okay, maybe you're using it to keep the queen under your thumb, but… What the hell did I get myself into? This is not what I signed up for – not this, that's for damn sure… 'Just a small, little, bucolic town… a paid vacation.' Damn, was I naive or what?

A.J. started up again, but he was quickly interrupted… by Eric. "Listen, I'll tell ya what we're going to do for ya-"

"Your majesty, I do believe I have solved the mystery of what happened to the V." He stared directly at me; his face was fierce mask of disdain. "According to Sheriff Lautner, she and Dr. McTavish were attacked by Allitar Zalarus and she shot and killed him. She claims it was self-defense, she says she was mortally wounded and that McTavish used some of the V to save her life and his own."

The room went dead silent. I broke out in a cold sweat.

You son-of-a-bitch! I can't believe – I swear…

I could feel everyone's eyes on me and I imagined a spotlight shining down on me. The events of that evening with Liam flashed through my mind. My internal monologue was a bold protest, repeating the events and begging for understanding. But outwardly, I said nothing. I was too frightened and knew it wouldn't matter.

The queen, who was sitting somewhat provocatively in a chair – legs crossed, slit skirt pulled up so that you could see her whole leg and then some – chewed on a fingernail and looked me over with a contemplative gaze. "Sookie – what did you get from her?"

Sookie moved until she was standing next to the queen's chair. She looked at me intently and I swear I felt a tingling sensation in my head.

"She's not lying. She was visiting him… saying goodbye… I saw Mr. Zalarus attack her and hurt her… she was hurt… bad… real bad… she was dying… she remembers trying to drink… but she couldn't drink, she passed out."

I couldn't stop my brain from whizzing through all the memories of that night. I was frightened. Truly frightened of everyone in the room – I wondered who was going to attack me. My mind flashed an image of Liam saying he made Allitar's death look like a robbery, then quickly I stopped the image and thought of my pet dog, Sugarfoot, from my childhood. I didn't want Liam to be blamed for something I did.

I killed Allitar, not him. He was just trying to help. He said that the vampires would kill us both because I killed one of them. I wasn't thinking clearly. Oh, shit, did I just think that? Dammit, are they all going to attack me soon?

I was so worried of what she saw in my head, and what everyone was thinking of me, that it brought up a memory or two of my time in the military hospital. There were many times in all those months, when I felt completely alone and truly helpless – like I did at that very moment. I clasped my hands together to keep them from shaking.

Sookie started to speak again. "Dr. McTavish hid Mr. Zalarus' body… he told her that he made it look like a robbery. He told Sheriff Lautner that they couldn't tell anyone because vampires would kill them."

Oh fuck, she heard me.

Roman whispered in my ear, "Why didn't you tell me about this."

Under my breath, I snapped back, "I tried but you wouldn't FUCKING answer your phone!"

Sophie-Ann asked, "Were you and McTavish lovers?"

I shook my head and quietly asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sookie spoke up. "No, I don't see that. I see them hugging… like friends. But, nothing… um… nothing really more than that."

I wonder if she saw the kisses? Shit, stop thinking! From a look in Sookie's eye, I knew that she had heard me, but thankfully – and for whatever reason – she didn't say anything.

Sophie-Anne sat up in her chair, all the while her eyes never left me. "How do we know that she's just not just making up these images for you to see?"

Sookie responded, "I can tell when someone is lying. Human's minds aren't that strong, they can't hide it for a long period of time. Something would have flashed by and it hasn't."

Eric spoke up. "Well, there's one way of being certain. If she took V, enough to save her life, then there will still be some residual, even now." He walked towards me and I took a few steps backwards.

I heard Roman growl, he sounded exactly like a wolf - a big, angry wolf. A.J. said, "Northman, this could be your last moments on Earth, so ya best rethink any shenanigans that you might be schemin' in that rotted out skull of yours."

A.J. put a hand on Roman's chest to stop him from charging Eric, but he didn't tell him to stop growling. The alpha of all the Red Moon pack then briefly nodded his head for Eric to proceed… and then he too growled, and it was as frightening and threatening as Roman. They both made me feel a little bit better, but not much.

Eric simply said, "This will just take a moment." I flinched when he reached for my left hand. He quickly picked it up – and then bit my index finger.

Motherfucker! Without thinking, I slapped him hard across the face and shoved him away. That was a big mistake. It literally hurt me more than it did him. My hand stung beyond belief, it felt like I had slapped a boulder. I tried shaking my hand, to work out some of the pain, but to no avail. You dead piece of shit. God, I hope I didn't break a bone!

I heard an ungodly hiss-like sound and looked over at the vampires. They all had their fangs out and they all were deeply sniffing the air. They all looked like they were getting high on drugs.

They're sniffing the air to get a whiff of my blood – that is gross. Someone in my group, I couldn't remember his name, handed me a handkerchief and I wrapped it around my finger.

Eric had already walked back to his side of the room. He was swishing my blood around in his mouth and sucking in air; like a sommelier tasting a wine sample.

"She has vampire blood mixed with her blood. The concentration is highly diluted, and it would have been gone by now if she had taken it for recreational purposes. Since there are still traces, it means that she was given a significant amount – the amount that it would take to save a human's life. Also, it is a blend, which is not normally or easily available. McTavish was smart, giving her a blend… the bloods nullified each other, therefore she would not be tied to any of the vampires. And… a very important fact in her favor – her blood matches other samples that I found in the basement. Blood splatters that McTavish didn't completely destroy. The evidence supports her story."

A.J. put his arm around my shoulder and quietly said to me, "Calm down, everything is fine." Then aloud for all to hear, "Well… that's settled. We'll just have a little sit down discussion with ol' Dr. McTavish and I'm sure that he has the blood or knows where it is – end of story. Let's get onto the next subject – we're runnin' out of time. We have a whole new problem. We've got new reports of infected in areas that no infected have been in."

Sophie-Ann sniffed back, "Well, I guess that is your problem, because –"

AJ raised the volume of his voice and to a level that rivaled booming thunder. "Well it better be! You best make it a priority! Especially since yer people are goin' down just as fast as mine. You and all the rest of us may not be around here much longer if we don't tend to this problem NOW! You hear me, loud and clear?"

Garland, our gracious host, hurriedly entered the room. He spoke directly to A.J. "I've given orders for them to light the holiday bonfire and all the guests are duly inebriated, that drug worked like a charm. As the party folks make their way out to the front for the fire, we'll leave out the back. We'll be leaving in about five minutes. Are you ready?"

A.J. responded, "Yeah, we're good. Sophie-Ann, are your people ready?"

Sophie-Anne quickly stood up and donned her coat, while saying, "Yes, of course."

Before anyone made another move, Eric spoke up. "Sheriff Lautner is carrying a concealed weapon. There's a gun strapped to her right thigh. I demand that she not accompany us, she is dangerous and cannot be trusted."

Everyone turned to me and I just stood there speechless, dumbfounded, and suspected of wrong doing, again - thanks to Eric.

A.J. said, "Ain't you popular tonight, cher? Oh, my bad - I forgot to tell ya. No guns. Gimme it." Then he said to no one in particular, "Ain't she somethin' – like a girl scout, always prepared." He laughed heartedly and all his sycophants laughed with him.

I turned to the side, hiked up my pant leg, un-strapped the gun and handed it to A.J. He placed it on the nearby bookshelf. I heard Eric practically shout out, "That is not acceptable! I do not – your majesty, I do not trust her to be around you, I –"

The queen cut him off, "Oh for the love of royal blood, she's harmless, Eric!" The queen looked at me and said, "I completely agree with Chief Marquette, you are quite 'something'. Perhaps we can be better acquainted when this is all over." She posed like a model - shoulder up, leg thrust out and then she stuck out her hand, palm down.

Does she want me to kiss it? I reluctantly reached up and took her hand and tried to turn it so that I could shake it. The next thing I knew, I was yanked towards her – I actually bumped into her.

Sophie-Ann practically purred, "You have beautiful green eyes. I – oh wait, I remember now! You were in that video! I love a forceful woman. Aggressive and strong… who knows what she wants and takes it."

Huh, are we thinking about the same video? Whatever, fuck off, toots. Not interested, now or ever.

I swallowed audibly. "Um… that's very kind of you… but you should know… that I'm not… gay… I'm still working on my 'Men of North America' collection." I nervously laughed.

She laughed in a sultry manner and said, "Well, perhaps –"

I interrupted her, "Um, I don't want to give you the wrong idea-"

She countered, "I think –"

I shot back – "Not going to happen."

The queen was clearly perturbed. She probably didn't have many people tell her 'no' before. But, even if I ever thought of trying to 'play for the same team,' it would never be for her. The vampire queen gave me the heebie-jeebies.

A.J. started to chuckle and then went into a full laugh. "Sophie-Anne, I think the lady said 'no' – and we all know, that 'no' means 'no.' Okay, let's get a-movin'." God bless him, A.J. grabbed me out of Sophie-Anne's clutches and proceeded to half drag me from the room.

I glanced at Eric's face and saw what seemed to be a look of real alarm and concern, and he was looking directly at me. For a moment, I wondered if his tattle-telling was actually an attempt to somehow help me. Then why would you try to embarrass me and get me removed… oh, wait… Then it dawned on me – I had completely forgotten about the Time of Crossing.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 11:15! According to my research, the eclipse had already started and was now in the first stage, the Earth had began its arc of when it would block the Sun from the Moon.

Shit – I've got to get out of here. I can't be around these supernaturals.

I turned to A.J., "Um, I have to go to the restroom, so I'll meet up with your later."

A.J. grabbed my arm, "Sorry, cher. I need to keep ya close by. There's something that's going to happen, and I want to make sure that ya are going to be safe. The best place for ya will be with us."

He walked ahead of the crowd and exited the room with me reluctantly in tow. I continued my appeal to leave their group and he and I argued over what we both knew and thought I should do during the Time of Crossing. Ultimately, by sheer brute strength and obstinacy, A.J. won the argument. I was along for the ride rather I liked it or not.

Fuck, fuck, fuck… oh shit!