A/N: The Sookie Stackhouse universe is owned by Charlaine Harris. FiniteAnarchy is the beta for this story. She's like Catherine, Alexander, and Frosted Flakes.
Chapter 8 - Like a Vampire in the Wind
I managed to fall asleep pretty easily after Eric left me, so it wasn't until the morning that I had the opportunity to question my actions of the night before. I woke up very early and found that, just as advertised, my cuts and scrapes had healed. For the first time all week my head was not throbbing. It was practically buzzing, the way it does when I'm flush with endorphins. I felt good. My thoughts had cleared; I was no longer in the babbling stupor that I'd been in when Eric had departed last night. Though I found I felt perfectly awake, I went to put the coffee on out of habit.
My kitchen was a total mess. I knew that a lot of the stubborn red splatter was spaghetti sauce, but some was definitely my blood. I was intensely grateful to realize, once I saw it, that Pam was obviously a vampire of great self-control. The broken shards of the plate I'd dropped had scattered everywhere. I retreated to the bedroom and put on shoes, got my dust bin out, and then the vacuum to go over everything when I was through.
I'd given more power and control over me to vampire who already had a great deal of it. This was a temporary measure, and it would eventually dissipate. Health-wise, it had immediate benefits. I unwrapped my finger and saw that the dark blister had dissipated. I flexed it, and it tingled slightly, but there was no pain. The wound itself had vanished, as if it had never been. I filled a bowl with warm water and bleach for the tile floor. I had all-purpose cleaner for the counter and cabinets. It would have to suffice to banish the lingering scent of my blood. It's not like I could burn down my kitchen.
Eric hadn't forced me to take his blood, and he easily could have. It wasn't even a matter of physically forcing me, which he was also capable of doing; I'd been unconscious. If he really hadn't been interested in giving me a choice, he wouldn't have needed to. He was right about it providing me with some measure of protection. I suppose now if another vampire did try to snatch me away, he could say that I was "his" and tell that other vampire to scoot. I was still pretty sure he wouldn't step in like that if it came to any of the bigwigs. I'd have to wait until I saw him again to see about the rest of it.
Cleaning the kitchen didn't take as long as I'd anticipated, I noticed when I checked the clock. I decided to try and earn a few extra brownie points by arriving in Bon Temps in time to meet Gran for church. I washed up and dressed in cold weather tights and boots, a corduroy skirt and a long sweater. It was dressing nicely at its coziest. My hair was particularly bouncy today, so I wore it down and added just a hint of mascara and gloss for my lips. Getting ready for church is always a precarious balance between keeping it obvious you'd made an effort to look nice, without looking like you were trying to show off. I'd hear about it if I failed to hit the mark, but I thought I was okay.
I am a Christian.
I believe in God, and I believe in Jesus. It's just that I'm really an awful Christian and an unrepentant sinner. I fail on the absolute basics, breaking most of Ten Commandments on really regular basis.
Just starting at the top, with the worship and honor of other deities. A lot of Christians will tell you that there simply are no other gods but our God, and that's that. Well, I just can't agree with that. While I don't worship any other gods, I think I've seen too much to deny their existence, or at the very least, that God has been known in many ways, by many names. Next, acknowledging icons and idols. That's a fairly consistent part of my profession. Taking the Lord's name in vain is something I try not to do, but I do it. I may not mean it; if I stub my toe and I shriek "Damn it!" I'm not literally beseeching God to condemn my coffee table. I do curse though. Even if I catch myself and say "sugar," that doesn't stop the fact that I meant "shit."
I don't go to church as regularly as I ought to, and when I skip, I don't spend the sabbath reflecting on God's creation of the heavens and earth. I don't take that story literally, either. I steal from people, and I lie constantly. Granted I try to replace what I steal, and I steal things that people shouldn't have, and could harm themselves with, or be harmed for having, but it's still theft. The lying, I don't even know where to begin. I try not to outright lie, though sometimes I can't avoid it, but lies of omission are still lies. It's the intention that matters. I also lie to protect myself from danger. Sometimes I think that God would forgive me that, and sometimes I think it's a test of faith that I'm perpetually failing. Coveting? I covet the life of almost every normal person I meet.
Basically, I'm sitting pretty with a clean track record for never cheating in a relationship, which is an easy accomplishment when you've never really been in one. I like to think I wouldn't. Honoring and obeying my parents is also easy, since they are dead and I can barely remember them. I extend that one to my grandmother though, and I like to think that I succeed there. I cherish her dearly, and forgive her anything. I also have a vast respect for Niall. I am deeply grateful to them both. Though he's not my relative technically, I think I feel this way about Mr. Cataliades as well.
And then there's killing people, which I've also never done, nor had occasion to do. But had I condemned people to death by using my ability? Yes. Would I kill to save myself or someone I loved? I... I don't know.
I like to think that I am kind to those I meet. I hope I am forgiving, and understanding. I help where I am able. God knows I try to be a good person. At least, I hope he does.
I arrived at Gran's and let myself in through the side door leading to the kitchen. She was already up and dressed and aproned, busy making some preparations for our lunch this afternoon. She turned around and smiled when I said good morning, and I realized that until I'd spoken, she hadn't known that I was there. She hadn't heard me come up the driveway, nor let myself in. I worry about her living out here alone sometimes. My brother is around, and though he checks in often, I know it's not every day.
We have talked a time or two about the possibility of her coming to live with me in Shreveport. I don't think she wants to leave this house though, nor can I truly picture it. This house and this land have been in our family for generations. I wouldn't want there to not be a Stackhouse living here. I sometimes regret that I couldn't stay on. I love this house. I have such a sense of peace and wellbeing when I'm here.
Gran rinsed off her hands, drying them on the front of her apron and crossed to me and gave me a big hug. It's wonderful to be around people who are truly delighted to see you, and kind of rare for me.
"Sookie, you look beautiful today," she smiled at me.
"Thank you. I thought I'd join you this morning, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind."
My morning and afternoon with Gran were enjoyable for us both. She loved having me around, and I loved both being around and seeing her happy. Jason came by not long after we'd returned to the house to fix a drafty window in the front room. In Gran's eyes, this almost entirely made up for the fact that he had not come to church with us. I went ahead and took a walk while he was caulking and she was cooking. I found myself predictably, if not quite intentionally, in the small clearing that housed the fairy portal.
Our woods are just regular woods; there's no ethereal quality to them. It's not like in the movies where the trees seem alive in more than the common way, and tiny pixies are drinking the dew beneath every other broad leaf. There's no soft tinkling music echoing just out of earshot. It's just trees and twigs, stunted shrubbery and brambles. I saw the tail ends of some deer darting away as I came upon them unexpectedly, but that was all.
The portal itself is unguarded. I'm almost positive it would be invisible and undetectable to most people and supes, not that I've ever brought anyone here to confirm that. The only clue to something unusual about the spot is the way the grasses tend to stay short and the bushes don't seem to encroach. Maybe there's also an extra smattering of wildflowers. It's a pretty place. The actual aperture looks to me like a haze in the air. I've always been afraid to stand too near to it. Technically I could enter it, but I never would. I'd expressed a desire to see Faery once or twice; a strange and beautiful land, another dimension, full of things I'd never know or see in this world. Who wouldn't be curious?
Even with the protection of Niall, it wouldn't be safe for me there. It wasn't only a matter of the immediate threats therein, but also of more fairies identifying me and associating me with him. That would leave me at greater risk in this world, as well. As far as that threat was concerned, the recent tie I'd acquired to the vampire would probably be helpful. I realized I might have to tell Eric about this connection at some point. He hadn't seemed to identify the fairy component in my blood. Either that, or he was deliberately testing my willingness and ability to lie to him. I was pretty certain it was the former.
I suppose I'd wandered out here in the hopes of meeting Niall on his way to visit me. I knew the chance was really slim, but I had called him after all, and he did have a way of turning up. There was a faint shimmer across the edge of the portal and for a moment I thought that my wish was about to be granted. When my great grandfather did not appear, I was suddenly overcome with a terrible feeling of uneasiness as I remembered that though this was my family's land, and this portal had been created by my kin, its use was not exclusive to them. Here was I standing right in front of a gateway through which anything could emerge, and suddenly this seemed like a really terrible place to linger. I moved swiftly back to the farmhouse, realizing only just before I left the woods that I was practically running. I stopped at the tree line to catch my breath, relieved to see that I hadn't snagged my clothing on anything.
Sitting around Gran's kitchen table, it was I who had the most interesting gossip to share, considering the robbery at Splendide. She and Jason listened with rapt attention while I told her all about being summoned late night to be questioned by the police and help do the inventory. They wanted to know what was taken and how people had managed to get in. Neither of them knows the exact nature of my work, though Gran has her assumptions, considering she knows who helped place me in the job. Jason knows about me of course, but the bulk of the supernatural world is still a mystery to him. It's for the best where he's concerned. Sometimes I feel strange about not being able to talk about certain things with them. Usually, I'm able to tell myself that it's normal to not discuss certain aspects of your private life with your family. It's just that in my case, "private life" has a different meaning.
"Damn Sook. So what happens now? Do they have any leads? Are they going to have to question you again?" My brother was thinking that city-life suddenly sounded very exciting. His mild profanity earned him a sharp look from our grandmother, but she said nothing to scold him as she was equally curious about the questions he'd posed.
"I'm not sure what kind of leads they have. They had us closed down on Friday, and they told me to keep my phone on in case they needed me, but they haven't called me again."
"Do you think it's safe for you to keep working there?" Gran asked.
"I'm not too worried at the moment," I said thoughtfully. "Right after something like this is when everyone gets hyper-vigilant concerning security, that's true for anything. But that's probably the safest time, isn't it? I mean the damage has already been done. They already got what they came for," I concluded.
"That's true," agreed Gran, though she didn't sound entirely certain.
"I'm not worried about getting hurt at Splendide, Gran. Whoever it was waited until everyone was out of the building. We have at least one security guard on duty at all times, and Brenda's been seeing about hiring some tougher guys in the evenings, too, even before all this."
"If you're sure, honey," she said, reaching over to pat my hand I caught her fingers and gave them a little squeeze to convey my sincerity.
"I'm sure."
"You know Sook, I gotta say... I didn't think that was going to be your big news," said Jason, a sly smile forming across his face.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "It's the biggest news of my week!" Arguably. It was at least the biggest news of my week that I could freely discuss at the dinner table with my human family.
"I thought you were gonna tell us about your new man," my brother said, smirking.
I nearly choked on the tea I was sipping. "Pardon?"
I heard my grandmother hum beside me and turned to look at her with equal disbelief.
"Uh, there's no new man," I said to both of them.
"Oh come on Sook, you're all gussied up, you've been happy and smiling all day," my brother said.
"I'm all gussied up because I went to church this morning, unlike some people," I shot back. "And I always smile."
"Yeah, but this is your real smile," he shrugged.
I frowned. It's not like I was terribly surprised to realize that my family knows me quite well. Jason was contrasting whatever smiling I'd done today with my usual forced smile. That's my default expression in the face of hearing unwanted things from people's minds. I realized it only in that moment, but I was having an easier time of keeping my shields in place, both here with them and this morning at church.
"You're practically glowing, dear," Gran agreed.
My eyes shot down to my hands. Could she see it? No. I couldn't even see it in the broad daylight like this. They're talking about whatever physical effects the vampire blood had on me, and perhaps the mental ones, if they improved my power to control my ability.
"There's no man," I said, and I let my tone drift towards what I'm ashamed to say was my usual despondence. "I just thought I'd make myself look nice this morning, and I've just had a nice afternoon with you both," I shrugged.
Jason continued treating me to his appraising stare but my beloved grandmother put an end to his questioning with a stern look followed by her getting up to serve the pecan pie. Talk about a one-two punch for quelling a subject. She gave me a sly wink as my brother dug in to the plate she set before him, so I knew the subject wasn't totally dropped for her. I didn't stay for long after that. I wanted to be home well before dark. It wasn't because I expected company; it was simply my habit, whenever possible. It was something they understood.
Gran packed me some leftovers to take home and let me know she'd call me tomorrow. She was already mentally running through a list of several friends she needed to inform about the robbery in Shreveport. I couldn't say I minded much about her spreading the news. It had likely been covered in the local paper yesterday or today. Gran had stopped taking delivery of the newspaper herself a couple of years ago. The print was too small and she just preferred word of mouth.
Brenda called while I was on the highway to let me know that I needed to come to Splendide.
"Sure," I sighed. "I'm on my way back from Bon Temps. I can be there in forty minutes maybe."
"They're really eager to talk to you," she warned.
"Um, should I be nervous?" I asked.
"Do you have anything to be nervous about, Sookie?" She sounded serious.
"No...everything alright Brenda?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry. It's been a really stressful day. I just need you to get here as soon as possible please."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I'll tell them."
She hung up. I could only imagine that Brenda's weekend with Upper Management had been intense. Her exposure to supernatural creatures tends to be sanitized. Everyone who walks in our door at Splendide is there to do business as an upstanding citizen. The things I'd seen in the last week in the company of the Sheriff; torture, interrogation, the use of their strengths and their powers, wasn't something that Brenda had been exposed to. She was aware of supes. She knows they're not human. But seeing is very different to knowing. I hoped she was holding up.
A dark clad figure ghosted to my side as I strode across the parking lot. He was huge; a shape-shifter of some kind, and not one I'd encountered before. His mind was colder and tighter than the crimson snarl of a Were, but there was no doubt he was a predator. Somehow the word that stuck with me was "older," though he looked no more than forty. He wasn't being aggressive. He was a guard. That's all I could get. I felt him lean in to scent me as I probed his mind. We took each other's measure. He let me in to the front of the building and remained outside.
Brenda and Mintah were alone in the parlor. Another guard stood by the entry. There was another mind present downstairs, and one in Brenda's office. I entered and watched Mintah set down a delicate tea cup in its matching saucer. Brenda looked up at me with tired eyes and a small smile and Mintah stood.
"Sookie, darling child. It has been far too long since I have seen you." His voice was cool and rasping, the way old men or life long smokers can't help but rasp, and despite the words, there was no affection in the tone. He opened his arms to embrace me, and I walked to meet him. I knew it was a deliberate gesture, knew that as my own ability was enhanced by touch, so too was his. I didn't know exactly what his was. I didn't think it was telepathy, or at least I was certain it wasn't just telepathy. He was choosing to present as fatherly. I let my mental shields completely slip away, in a tacit effort to show him I was concealing nothing. I did not dare try to read him as I was sure he was reading me. He held my arms for a moment after our hug, pulling back to search my eyes. His were pools of black.
Brenda was miffed. Exhausted, and irritated that I received such a familiar greeting from him. Both Mintah and I turned to her at the same moment. She blanched. I offered her a little smile.
"Please sit with us," Mintah told me, gesturing for me to take my seat beside Brenda.
I held his eye for a moment as I reflexively reassembled the most basic blocks in my mind; the ones that keep me sane. He gave me the slightest of nods, so felt at liberty to proceed.
"Did you enjoy the day with your grandmother?" he asked me.
"Yes, sir. My brother was over to visit as well. She sent me home with some of her pecan pie."
"How charming."
I doubted he had ever been charmed by anything in his long existence, but this satisfied the quota of small talk.
"The problem that has presented itself this afternoon, Sookie, is that the inventory list you created with the police on Thursday does not match the one that my servant created yesterday. Ms. Hesterman verified both, and she assures me that both were correct."
"I'm not sure I follow sir, what did I miss?"
"That is the peculiar thing. There are several differences. Objects that were accounted missing are present. Objects that were present are now missing. How do you explain this?"
I grew tense immediately, unsure if he was asking me to explain my errors, or the differences. He didn't sound accusatory, any more than he had succeeded in sounding kindly as he called me darling child. I had no idea what answer he wanted.
"I...am not sure that I could explain that. Detective Ambroselli was beside me as I accounted for each item on our inventory lists. I believe if I had missed anything she would have pointed it out. I do not believe I missed anything. If the lists are the same, and the vault has remained sealed, I cannot begin to guess why there would be a disparity."
"I do not believe you missed anything, either."
"Then, how?" I was baffled. I thought hard. The only way for things to get in and out of the vault would be to open the vault, right? There are wards in place to prevent magical entry, so a fairy couldn't just teleport in there. It's thickly iron anyway. And if people could teleport in, or break in some less obtrusive way, why go to the trouble in the first place?
"The vault had stayed sealed, right?" I asked to clarify. "Definitely?"
Mintah nodded to me. "We are certain of that."
"What's missing now?"
"Let us go and see." That was curious.
Mintah rose and I did the same, but he motioned for Brenda to stay behind. That unnerved me a little.
"Brenda, please relax for a few minutes. You will be safe with Ghellert," he nodded toward the guard stationed at the entryway. I didn't think the chance of Brenda being able to relax was very high at all.
He took my hand and brought it to his arm and we walked almost in procession downstairs. I understood this was more deliberate physical contact and so I took his arm and tried to pretend I wasn't a little weirded out. I knew there was someone downstairs, I'd brushed the mind earlier. It was locked up tighter than a steel drum as we approached.
The creature in the downstairs hallway had a case set open on a squat table, filled with all manner of equipment that I did not recognize. It was a goblin. The squat little man bowed to his master and then his gnarled face glared up at me with angry eyes.
"Sookie, have you met Mr. Hob?" the demon asked me.
"I can't say I've had the pleasure," I replied nervously, but inclined my head in respectful greeting all the same.
"Good afternoon, Miss Stackhouse," he growled. I smiled my crazy smile in kind.
Mintah had me enter the vault then, watching as I input my authorization code and explaining that the timer restrictive function had been disabled for the ongoing investigation. As we entered I caught myself frowning. Things were out of place again.
"Were things moved around in here?" I asked.
"No."
I crossed immediately to the nearest shelf where the gold jewelry, whose loss I'd regretted, was nestled neatly in a padded bin.
"This wasn't here," I said. "I met the woman who had brought it in that afternoon. I felt bad that we'd have to tell her we lost her items. They were definitely not here."
"What else?"
I glanced around, looking for differences. There was a silver platter on a far shelf that I knew had not been there. I pointed it out.
"And what is missing?" Mintah asked.
Well I knew what I feared most, and I'm sure he did too. I walked right over to the Herbahz lot and pulled the foam coverings back. I was half expecting it, but I still gasped when I saw the silver knife, the brazier, and the iron quill were not where I had left them, and neither was the mesh glove. The gold knife remained, and so did the ebony stake.
"Shit," I whispered.
"Quite."
I spun around. "What else?"
"Some human artifacts."
"How did they get back in?" I demanded. Because he had to know, right?
I was distracted by the large chest of silverware that I'd last seen Wilson Bellows lugging in. It had gone on the nearest shelf, because it was so heavy, but there it was on the far side of the room. I walked over to it and as I was flipping it open, I heard Mintah roar; the screeching, wrenching sound was the most stark and terrifying noise I'd ever heard come out of a living being, until a split second later when the sharp silvery hissing whipped through the air behind me and I grabbed my hand into the chest of silver and came up with the first thing I could get my fingers around and then dropped to the floor. There was a crash behind me and a ripping sound and I was very, very aware that there was now a second figure in the room, and whoever it was had attacked my boss.
The shelves rattled. They were sturdy and they didn't fall, but items teetered down from them. I tried to crawl for the corner, but something caught the edge of my boot. I glanced back in time to see a cowled figure sprawled at my feet and was scrambling for purchase, and I was the nearest thing. The pale face was covered and the eyes were squeezed shut; then Mintah was on him dragging him back. I kicked free of my boot.
I heard a baying as one of them took a serious injury and another crash, followed by the cacophonous clanging of many metal things clattering to the ground. Then again, behind me, and I kicked my legs wildly trying to push my body out of the way because there were heavy things there, and I'd be just as hurt if they fell on me as I would if I were caught in the scuffle. I screamed for Hob at one point, which was useless as the damned vault is sound proof, and even if it wasn't, I highly doubted that my ineffectual yelling would be any good on the utter clamor of the fight.
There was a horrible baying; a keening, yowl of agony and a ripping, a tearing sound... Please God, let it not be Mintah.
I prayed for the life of the demon. Really awful Christian.
I forced myself to turn and when I did it was to see my boss finishing the job of severing the arm of his attacker, his face fiercely triumphant, one foot on the man's back for leverage as he wrenched up... and then stumbled forward. The figure beneath him vanishing the second the arm came free. He seethed and hurled the limb away from him and screamed.
I shut my eyes.
"Sookie, were you injured?" His voice was cool and raspy again as he stood above me.
I thrust up my...soup spoon...to ward off the encroaching evil. Mintah took it from my hand and examined it carefully, placing it down on the nearest shelf. He took my arm and pulled me to my feet with no undue force. Demons, it seemed, are not affected by the same bloodlust as vampires in the wake of violence. He appeared to be operating with a clear head. That was very good.
"Who was that?" I whispered.
"I do not know, but I will find out. You need to let us out of the vault now."
I tried very hard not to look at the severed arm as Mintah led me past it, but I did not succeed. In fact, as soon as I looked, I became quite engrossed. Unfortunately I have seen severed limbs before. Not in person, but sometimes in films, and once very accidentally on the internet. I was right on the cusp of my own little little breakdown when my attention caught. The arm, I realized, was thin. The hand, and I am forever thankful that the hand was not the gory end, was small. It was wearing the iron mail glove.
"That's... from the Herbahz lot. That glove that...it...was wearing. It's part of our stock."
"I will have Mr. Hob recover it," Mintah assured me. "Please open the vault now."
I did so. I was led upstairs, much more grateful this time, to have an arm to clasp. To have arms, in point of fact. Mintah brought me to Brenda's office, where the clerk at her desk looked up unperturbed before returning to his work.
"I will return in a moment," Mintah told me, and I nodded.
I heard him sending Brenda home out in the hallway, and asking Ghellert to ensure she arrived safely. Whatever her connections, Brenda is human. She would be spared from the details of what had just happened downstairs. A few minutes later Mintah returned and dismissed his clerk, before taking a seat behind the desk.
"Did you know that was going to happen?" I asked.
"No. Why did you go for the silver?"
"It had been moved there," I said dully. "It had been stored on a different shelf, and then it was among what was missing..."
"It is lucky you were out of the way."
"How did he escape?"
"It seemed very like teleportation to me."
"Not fairy," I clarified.
"No, none of your great grandfather's people."
I had just enough sense in my head left to be gobsmacked.
"It is my business to know," said the demon, indifferently, answering the question I had not asked. "It's nothing to me. You are a valuable asset to this enterprise. Your secret is safe."
I knew my telepathy was safe with him, since he can obviously do something along those lines himself, but turning me over to the water fae...
"I am sure my own family tree would be of interest to many as well. It is a decent ruse you have crafted here. You are assumed to be some sort of step child or by-blow of a relation of Cataliades, embraced out of affection - all things no one likes to talk about. I have no objection to this continuing."
"That's very generous of you sir."
"Yes," he said, agreeing to his own magnanimity with a nod.
"What did you actually expect me to find in there?"
"It was my opinion that the items that were accounted as stolen were not actually removed, but rather changed to look like the items which were actually stolen. You saw the vault as it was left by the thieves. You noticed the differences. I will wish you to go through again, tomorrow."
"What's the point of that? Of making things look different?"
"To obscure what was actually taken for more time, to put us off the search, perhaps," he mused.
"But why bother breaking in, if he could just pop in?"
"A question that will be answered."
"My boot is down there," I said dully.
"Mr. Hob will bring it up. Tell me about Julian Herbahz."
I did. I recounted the entire day we'd met, how I'd arrived for the meeting, gone downstairs with Kenneth, started running tests, and how Julian didn't join us until later, with Brenda. I told about how the glove made the complete set, and it had come in a day later. Mintah listened with interest and asked a number of pointed questions which I didn't have the answers to.
He wished to know why Julian didn't want to deal with vampires on objects that would have been so greatly valuable to them, and that one I was able to explain, as it had been explained to me. But then Mintah started asking about the relationship of Kenneth and Julian, and the only things I could offer about Kenneth were the little bits he'd shared. Much like I'm presumed to be, he's just a relative for whom there is affection. Julian had seemed unhappy with Kenneth for failing to pack up the glove, but hadn't gone so far as to chastise him in front of us really. That alone spoke to the familial bond.
Mintah left me to go and attend to things downstairs. I sat there for probably twenty minutes more, feeling subdued. I was waiting for the shock of what I'd seen to kick in, but it never did. I could feel it inside me, but rather than burbling up and out in hysterics, it sat in my stomach like a stone.
The demon returned later and told me I was dismissed for the night. The shifter, Rudas, walked me back to my car. Ghellert had returned at some point and had taken up a station downstairs with the goblin and the vault.
I'd half expected the damn vampire to be waiting for me at home, but that's not who I found when I got there. Mr. Cataliades was sitting on the bench on my porch, indifferent to the chilly night. I smiled and gathered my things together and went to meet him. He was dressed in one of his usual fine suits and carried his usual rich leather case. He looked rather like a high caliber of door to door salesman as he stood up to greet me.
"Mr. Cataliades," I said warmly. "What brings you by?"
"I'm here in Shreveport on the Queen's business," he explained in his sonorous lilt. "Routine," he clarified, letting me know there was no reason to worry about that. "I thought I'd better see how things resolved here, before I go meet with the Sheriff myself."
"Of course," I said. "I'm so glad you stopped by, please come in."
He followed me in to the kitchen, and rather than put my leftovers away, I went ahead and fixed us each a plate. We sat down at the table and I shared with him the details of Pam's rescue and recovery, noting that the Were Tray Dawson had seen me, and been employed by the Sheriff to guard me before Pam was restored.
"And, that's the other thing really," I began. I set my fork down, the better to fidget in my lap. He was probably not going to be happy about this.
"I got sick this week." I had his Mr. C's attention immediately.
"Thursday night I fainted out front on the porch, and Mr. Dawson got me inside the house. I'd been feeling run down and weary after missing all that sleep, but I think it was something more than that."
"You seem fine now," he observed. "Perhaps more than fine."
"Well. Yes. Last night the Sheriff's child came by to present herself and thank me formally or something, and I invited her in for a blood, because I was eating dinner. Anyway, I fainted again and dropped my plate and fell in the broken china and so she called Eric. By the time I woke up he had, uh, tended to all my wounds."
"I see."
"Not quite. He tended to all my wounds but I was still very sore from the cuts, very run down, even though I slept good and long on Friday and napped all day yesterday. I was achy all over... and I'd gotten a cut earlier in the week and it hadn't healed, and you know all this is out of the norm, even after a couple of late nights."
"Yes, I know," he said, and his tone suggested I should cut to the chase.
"Heofferedmehisbloodtohealme andItookit andnowIfeelgreat."
He was used to talking to Diantha. I wouldn't have to repeat that.
"I see," he said, setting down his own fork now.
I'm a grown woman, but in the face of his scrutinizing expression I felt exactly like a child confessing to having been the one to break the lamp. It wasn't the cat. It was me.
"And you were not coerced," he clarified.
"I wasn't. I won't say he didn't hype the benefits, but he was honest about his part in it too." After I pressed him, anyway. "I made the decision with a clear head."
"Have you contacted your great grandfather?"
"I left a message on Thursday evening right after I fainted the first time. I was hoping to hear from him by now, even hoping he would show up at Gran's today. I even went out by the portal, and nothing. Well, not nothing. It shimmered and I got scared and ran away. But no Niall."
"He must be delayed," Mr. Cataliades concluded.
Neither of us really have any idea what exactly is going on in Faery at any point in time. I understood that this was Mr. Cataliades' way of saying he was sure there was a very good reason why I hadn't heard from Niall, even if neither of us had any clue as to what that reason might be. It was intended to be comforting.
"Do you think he'll be angry?" I asked, still all timidity.
"With the vampire, perhaps. What does he know about you, now that he has presumably tasted your blood?"
"Only that I'm different. He demanded to know what I was. I didn't tell him. He's supposed to show up sometime tonight to discuss it all, and he wants to test if I can be influenced via his blood now."
"I suppose that will be useful to know, if nothing else."
"And it'll wear off in a few weeks so," I began, but he was giving me a questioning look in response.
"I can't claim to have first-hand knowledge of tying myself to a vampire, but I believe the effects are somewhat longer lasting than that."
"How much longer?" I asked.
His eyes flicked in the direction of my front door, preceding the knock that immediately followed. Vampire brain.
"Perhaps you'll ask him," Mr. Cataliades said.
I frowned as I stood. "I still need to talk to you about Splendide and Mintah and also I think I met Gladiola's new beau this week. Should I send him away?" I had no doubt about who was knocking.
Mr. Cataliades simply picked up his cutlery and began eating once again. Plainly he is not going to advise me any further on dealing with Eric. I sighed, and went to answer the door.
A/N: Sorry for the Eric-free chapter, everyone. I won't do that often. That's him at the door though. See you Friday!