A/N: SVM is owned by Charlaine Harris. FiniteAnarchy, the beta for this story, is a wonderful woman.
I currently remain without power at home due to Hurricane Sandy, but through some finagling, managed to get this chapter up. This time the lateness is actually beyond my control entirely! Aside from having no power (we're on 5 days now), I am safe and well. A tree fell on my house, which was terribly exciting/scary/inconvenient, but it did no major damage. I have to consider myself lucky. My heart goes out to those who are more affected than I.
I will go ahead and post the summary of this story up until now, which is kind of long. Feel free to skip it if you're not interested. Chapter 30 is posted below it.
Summary:
Despite her work in and knowledge of the Supe world, Sookie has lived a very isolated life. She provides a service to all variety of supes from within an organization that must remain neutral to keep its business. Publicly, Sookie's supernatural credentials consist only of her being the goddaughter of Mr. Cataliades. Knowledge of her telepathy and her fairy heritage are close secrets.
At the top of the story, Mr. Cataliades, Diantha, Gladiola, Adele, and Niall were the only ones who knew everything. That list has now been nearly doubled to include Eric, Pam, Tray, and Mintah (who owns Splendide). A handful of others know some, but not all: Brenda, Ghellert, Octavia, Louis, and Jason and Hadley. Compared to the books, where at this point in the series Sookie's fame is wide-flung, this remains an incredibly small circle.
Eric is a more communicative version of canon-Eric. He can speak more freely in front of Sookie because unlike in the books, Sookie is already independently accepted as a trustworthy guardian of many of the secrets of the vampire world. Eric finds in Sookie someone with whom he can simply relax and talk to without risk of her exploiting anything he says, since she doesn't want to be involved. This alone would give her value to him, but of course she is much more. No, he doesn't tell her everything. Because Eric doesn't know everything.
Trust between Eric and Sookie is built up over a series of events where they help to preserve each other and their respective interests. In the beginning, Sookie was checking in with her sponsor after every interaction she had with Eric. At this point, she is sleeping easy by his side. Neither one of them has experience with this sort of relationship. Eric has had long-term ties with humans before, but never with someone he regarded as approaching an equal, and that's what this is. Sookie may not be Eric's equal in strength, but she certainly is in worth.
In some respects, she is even above him. Sookie is a technically a princess, while Eric is only the lord of a petty fiefdom. Unlike the books, Sookie's relationship to Niall is not a fledgling association that was facilitated by Eric himself. Eric has a very high regard for protocol and power structure, and as such does not dismiss her status as royalty-in-exile, i.e., still royalty. More and longer exposure has brought out more of her fae qualities, but opportunities to independently connect with the fairy part of herself have remained few. The fairy connection has dictated the way that she lives her life, but at the same time, it's something she has to hide from.
In the books, Sookie is strongly anchored to her human life, only occasionally straddling the fence between that world and the supernatural. Here, Sookie skates along the thin line, too afraid to really put a foot down on either side. She might be drastically more informed, but this only leaves her with a different problem set. Sookie doesn't suffer from financial hardship, and she isn't intellectually under-stimulated in her daily life. What she does lack is solid ties to practically anything.
She doesn't have Bon Temps, and Gran's house, and a bar full of friends committed to pulling off a surprise party for the telepath. It's harder and harder for Sookie to stay connected to her family, and worse still is the fact that she believes this is probably for the best. Sookie has lived her adult life anticipating and preparing for the moment when she'll have to flee from discovery by people who will want to use her, harm her, or both.
Eric has the potential to be something that grounds her. He can provide her safety and permanence, but in order for that to happen, their relationship has to consist of more than his ability to bring her off. He has to be something that she can't walk away from.
Chapter 30 – Vampire Your Own Nest
I didn't stop trying to call Eric after I'd left the message. He can rise a bit before the sun actually sets. He should be up any minute, so why wasn't he answering, damnit? Did he turn his phone off while he slept? I hadn't noticed.
I drove right past my bank, which of course was already closed. I'd never intended on stopping there. I mentally cursed every other car on the road and every stop light until I finally pulled into the sprawling parking lot of the Trifecta Hotel and Casino.
The tall hotel building was the front face of the resort. Our strange laws dictate that the actual gambling can only take place on the water, so a boat was permanently moored on the Red River out back. It seems a little outmoded, but the riverboat gambling gives cities like Shreveport or Tunica some distinction over places like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. I could appreciate the idea of old-fashioned charm.
The lights were already blazing. It got real pretty up here by the water at dusk, not that I took the time to admire it today. I wasn't more than a few minutes ahead of the trio of Weres I'd left at Splendide. They'd been wrapping up when I left. I couldn't count on more than ten minutes' lead. Maybe fifteen, given I knew better how to avoid the traffic, whereas they were in an unfamiliar city.
I didn't have much of a plan, but I didn't believe I needed one. I knew the target, the intention, and I was pretty sure I knew in which room this Henrik guy was staying. I just needed to go upstairs and warn him not to answer the door for anybody else, and then scram.
If he asked questions, I'd just say I overheard it at lunch, which was practically the whole truth.
Tray had gotten the numbers 503 and 504. When I stepped into the elevator and saw that the button for floor five was shaded red, I figured I was on the right track. That was the vampire floor.
I lost phone service inside. I was looking down waiting for my little bars to reappear so I could redial Eric for the thirtieth time when the doors swung open. I felt the minds of people waiting to board the elevator there, so I stepped out quickly.
"Halt!"
It wasn't other passengers waiting. Two armed Weres stood blocking the hall that lead back to the guest rooms. One of them had his service rifle leveled at me. I put my hands up in surrender.
"This floor is closed. What's your business here?"
It was the other one who spoke. I was all too happy to turn my attention away from the gun. I'd about had it up to here with people pointing guns at me.
"I'm supposed to meet someone," I stammered.
I knew two things for certain. First, Randy, Gary, and Keith had all been envisioning a quick in and out. Second, someone, probably working at the hotel, had supplied Randy with the room numbers. I didn't know if these guards could be trusted, and I surely didn't want to stick around to answer a bunch of questions that would inevitably include who I was, and exactly how I knew what I claimed.
"Name?" the Were demanded.
Shoot. My name? No. He was asking who I was here to see. Just in case he did turn up dead, I wasn't about to say "Henrik Feith." Think. Think. I went for the only other name I knew for certain was on the guest registry.
"Bill Compton?"
The rifle would have to excuse the quaver in my voice.
The Were strode forward, and for a split second I thought he was about to seize me. Instead, he pushed the call button and gave the other man a nod over his shoulder to indicate he could stand down.
The elevator was still on the floor, and the doors swung open immediately.
"Come back in ten minutes," he said brusquely. "You can put your hands down."
He guided me back into the car, leaning in to hit the button that would return me to the ground floor. I nodded, lowering my arms and mumbling an apology as he stepped off. He gave me a nod in return as the doors swung shut again. I exhaled sharply once I started to descend.
Well, that was a fun experience.
The lobby was seeing steady traffic as evening settled in. Hotel guests were heading out to dinner, or filtering back in from spending the afternoon at the casino. It seemed busier now than it had been even a couple minutes ago. Damn it. I was losing time. With more people coming and going, I couldn't just dawdle in front of the elevator bank. I strode across the lobby looking for all the world like I had purpose. Noting the discreet little sign, I headed down the hall in the direction of the coffee shop, the gym, and, aha. Yes. The stairs.
The garish décor vanished along with the hum of music and the murmur of voices. The buzz of minds seemed more distant too as the echo of the heavy door slamming behind me echoed up the empty stairwell. It was well lit, and completely nondescript. I had no illusions that there wouldn't be another guard waiting on the vamp floor. I stepped out of my pumps and hoofed it up to floor four.
Taking a quick look around the vacant corridor, I was pleased to find the nearest door was marked 401. Hopefully the next floor up was set up like this one and I would come out exactly where I needed to be. I'd see for sure just as soon as the hazy brain I could detect right above me moved off. I knew it was a male, but that was pretty much all I could detect, apart from maybe the general weariness that any working person feels toward the end of the day.
It didn't take long. Not more than another minute or two and the shapeshifter was moving away down the hall in the direction of the elevators. I was surprised he didn't take the stairs himself.
My little rest had given me the opportunity to catch my breath after my jog up the stairs, but my heart hadn't stopped racing. I could hear it.
I went up, and let myself silently on to the vampire corridor. I was allowed to be here now, but knowing that didn't stop the impulse to creep along like some kind of burglar. There was a security camera positioned unobtrusively in the corner of the ceiling above the door leading to the stairs. I couldn't help but notice the wire dangling disconnected. Yes. Definitely something fishy going on here.
I tapped lightly on door 503, and then stopped. In the silence of the hall I could hear the elevator chime as the small battalion of daytime guards left the floor. I felt free to knock a little louder, and to drop my shields entirely.
There were human minds above and below, but they were distant, like people murmuring around the edges of a large room where I occupied the center, along with these vampire voids. There was one in the room in front of me.
Knock knock knock knock. I got a little more adament.
"Hello?" I called. "Mr. Henrik Feith?"
Knock knock knock. I darted across the hall and knocked on the other door, 504.
"Hello?" I said again, louder.
"Hello?" Came a voice from behind me.
"Hello?" Came a voice from down the hall.
"Sookie?" Came Eric's voice, in rapid crescendo as he moved toward me in a blink.
Door 503 was still closed, but someone had spoken from behind it. Eric was standing very close. Beyond him, I saw a Mr. Bill Compton leaning out of his doorway with an inquiring look on his face. Evidently I made more of a commotion than intended. Now everybody was up.
Eric spun around once he saw me looking down at Bill. He stepped backwards, forcing me closer against the wall, and stood there with me behind his back like a little kid concealing a broken dish.
"Is everything alright, Sheriff?"
"Everything is fine, Bill."
I poked Eric in the back. Everything was not fine, and we really didn't have time for vampire posturing. He turned around again and held his hands on either side of my arms as he bent slightly to look me in the eye.
"Sookie, what are you doing here?"
I would ask him the same thing, along with why the heck he hadn't answered his phone or checked his messages, but that would have to be later.
"There are three werewolves coming here to kill a vampire named Henrik Feith. I don't know why you're here, but I'm guessing that's part of it, because their plan is for you to take the blame. We have to keep him safe."
Eric didn't ask how I knew this, and he didn't ask "are you sure?" He stared at me for a just a second before striding over to Henrik's door and pounding on it with an authoritative fist.
"This is the Sheriff of Area Five and I order you to open this door immediately."
The door opened to reveal a small vampire with short brown hair and angular features. He'd been rail thin when he was alive, and with a cursory examination, I guessed that wasn't very long ago. He was focused on Eric.
"Yes?"
"This woman needs to speak to you," Eric told him, and then gestured to me.
"Mr. Feith, I need you to come with me right now. Your life is in danger."
"Who are you?"
"I'm just someone who overheard something and doesn't want to see any innocent people get hurt."
Henrik Feith looked from me to Eric. Suddenly Eric's head whipped around in the other direction.
"Someone is coming from the elevator. We have to go now. Sookie, where are you going to take him?"
"I..." I was just going to tell him not to answer his door.
"In here," came the voice of Bill Compton, where he'd remained listening a few doors down.
Suddenly all three of us were moving, me propelled by Eric with Henrik bringing up the rear. Bill pushed the door shut silently as I felt the three Were brains come into range. My eyes darted to Eric who was looking at me, and I nodded. These were the guys.
"Henrik, who's in 504?" I asked in a hurried whisper.
"Darcy O'Keefe, the other...emissary. Why?"
"They had both room numbers," I said quickly, already walking over to the phone situated on the desk. The room also contained a king-sized bed and a low stand supporting what was presumably Bill's travel-coffin. There was quite a bit of luggage, too. I guess he really was moving in. He'd probably need a U-Haul to get all this out to Bon Temps.
I dialed 504 and from the way all three of their heads snapped to the closed door, I could tell that the vampires were hearing the phone ring down the hall. A woman answered on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Darcy O'Keefe? Listen, no matter what happens, don't answer your door, okay? The Sheriff will be by in a little while to give you the all clear."
"Who is this?"
"That's not important. You might be in danger. You just need to listen to me. Don't answer your door, no matter what."
"What's going on? Someone just knocked and I heard voices in the hall."
I heard the knocking through the phone and the line when silent. Then where was a soft tap, as she set the phone down. She hadn't hung up, just left the phone on the desk in her own room.
"Darcy, don't let them in," I said again, louder, hoping she would hear.
I strained to listen, and it sounded as though she were talking to whoever was outside. I put my hand over the receiver.
"Can you hear them?" I asked the vampires.
"They are telling her they have a message from their king," Eric answered, with a glance at Henrik.
Eric pressed his hand against Bill's arm, and then gestured to me. Bill, who'd had his ear cocked against the door, came over and took the phone receiver out of my hand to listen.
"She's letting them in," he murmured after a moment.
"What?" I gasped, and then both of them shot me a look. Be quiet. Right. Got it.
It wasn't more than thirty seconds later that Bill closed his eyes and gave a slight shake of the head. Another moment later, and I heard one of the steel doors slam shut out in the hallway. I shivered. Goodbye Darcy, we hardly knew ye.
Eric came over to me then, gesturing Bill back to the door.
"Sookie, who are they?" He spoke softly, and I followed the cue. I clutched my fingers in front of me and took a deep breath.
"They're Weres from Arkansas. They came in today to buy a gift for the Queen to replace the fake, but before that, I was at the diner for lunch and they came in and they were talking. They mentioned killing someone, and then they mentioned you, and they said they wished they could be here to see the fallout. Then later, Tray heard them talking about this hotel, and their room numbers. I tried to call you, but you weren't answering. I didn't know what else to do but come here and try to intercept them."
"How did you know I was here?" Eric asked.
"I didn't, but I think they must have. What are you doing here anyway?"
"I had a meeting last night. I was late to arrive and then it... ran late," he said, taking time to fix Henrik with his stare. His voice got colder and colder as realization dawned. "I did not have time to reach my home before dawn, so I stayed here."
Eric was in front of Henrik before I could blink. In another second, he was behind him, having swung Henrik around so his chest was flush against the wall, his arms wrenched behind his back, held there at the wrists. Eric's other arm was wrapped around Henrik's head in such a way that a single solid jerk would be all it took to rip the vamp's head off.
"Eric don't!" I hissed. "He was their target! If you kill him you're doing exactly what they want!"
"He is the one who detained me," Eric said. His voice too, was low, and deadly. "What were your orders, Henrik?"
"Just...to keep you occupied. To make sure you had to rest here for the day."
"And then?"
"Nothing!" Henrik bleated out. "Nothing! I swear it!"
"Eric." I hoped I sounded soothing. "Eric, they used him. They used him and then they were going to kill him."
"They're at his room now," Bill said helpfully, his ear still pressed to the door. "They are getting agitated that he isn't answering."
Eric released Henrik in such a way that the lesser vampire was flung out of arm's reach. If he were human, Henrik probably would have gone sprawling to the ground, but even meek and comparably weak, Henrik still had the grace and agility of a vampire, and he recovered his balance with barely a stumbled step.
"Should we apprehend them?" Bill asked casually, like someone else might say, "Should we go to the park this weekend?"
Eric gave a nod, but held out his hand in a halt gesture when Bill reached for the door handle.
"Sookie, what do you know about them? What is their dynamic?"
"The one with the beard, Gary, I think he's in charge of the other two. He's the one that kept telling them to shut up. Randy, he's the kind of stocky, dark one. I think he's just muscle, but he's the one that got the phone call about the room numbers. The blonde one, Keith, he talks the most."
"What kind of weapons do they have?" Bill asked.
"How should I know?"
"You seem to know everything else."
"I only know what I heard," I said defensively.
"We'll rush them," Eric interjected. "Bill, you get behind as quickly as possible. Try to leave them intact. We'll want to question them. And no blood, if you can help it."
"Yes, Sheriff," Bill said sycophantically. "Am I to assume then, that you have seen fit to grant my petition?"
"Oh yes." I knew Eric well enough to recognize irritated sarcasm when I heard it. "Congratulations, Bill. Welcome to Area Five. You can call Pam when we are through to schedule your bar hours. Now, are you ready?"
Bill nodded, and then they were gone.
"Did you say Gary?" Henrik asked. "With a beard?" I jumped. He'd been so quiet, and I'd been straining to hear what was happening in the hall.
"Yes. Dark hair, beard, about six foot, solid build. Gary Cole is the name he gave. You know him?"
"He works for my king," Henrik said.
"Maybe time to rethink your loyalties buddy," I muttered.
"Maybe you're right. Or maybe this is all a trick."
I hadn't really expected him to answer back, least of all like that. He didn't really sound confident, but he was making an effort to do so. A trick? Screw him.
"What the heck kind of trick would that be?" I asked hotly.
"You're trying to trick me into betraying my king!"
I rolled my eyes.
"What are you doing here, Henrik? In Shreveport that is. What is it you do for your king."
"I'm here to evaluate the assets of this territory and report back to him to aid in the marriage negotiations."
"Important work. Anything else?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Henrik said haughtily. Originally I had pegged him at being less than fifty years old. Now, I mentally lowered the mark to less than ten. There are humans that lie more convincingly than that. I happen to be one of them.
"And you're here to try to find out what happened to some vampire who went missing in New Orleans, right? So your king can turn up as a big hero? And in the meantime, you do a bit of spying on Eric and his people. That about right? That's a big job, Henrik. You have a lot of experience doing that kind of work?"
It was just a guess, but I was reckoning that he didn't. He was too passive. Too resigned. This guy was a ringer. Henrik Feith didn't seem like the kind of person you send on an important diplomatic task or an investigation. Henrik Feith seemed like... well. He seemed exactly like the kind of guy a vampire king wouldn't mind assassinating if the death would implicate the local sheriff. Henrik Feith seemed expendable.
"I don't have to answer to a human!" Henrik spat.
"No problem. You get to answer to Eric." It was kind of weird being completely not intimidated by a vampire.
"You saved me from him."
"Not for your sake," I said, startling myself with how honest an answer that was.
Henrik backed off then, and took a seat on the bed. I could hear the muffled fighting. The vampires weren't very vocal, but the Weres were. There was pain being inflicted down the hall.
"How many other vampires are staying here?" I asked.
"No one. The other members of Sophie-Anne's court have already gone home."
"That's convenient," I said darkly. "This would have worked. This may still work."
There was a loud thump on the door and I jumped back.
"Open," commanded Eric. I peeked through the keyhole and got an eyeful of the battered face of Gary. He wasn't standing on his own, and one of his eyes was swollen. I didn't think he was fully conscious. I opened the door and stepped back into the recess of the closet so Eric could move past me. Right behind him was Bill, dragging the limp form of Keith. They carried the Weres into the bathroom, dumping them unceremoniously onto the floor.
"Get the other," Eric told Bill, without taking his eyes off the captives. "Sookie, bring me a bed sheet."
I scrambled to do as he asked and found myself shooing Henrik out of the way while I flung the blanket back and yanked the sheet off the bed. I met Bill in the doorway cradling the very deceased corpse of Randy. I froze.
"Sookie, come here," Eric said, and pulled me gently out of Bill's way.
Eric took the sheet from me and began shredding it into thin strips which apparently made a handy substitute for actual rope restraints. He handed me some and ordered me to braid. I wasn't a tenth as quick about it as he was, but it kept my hands busy, and provided a most welcome task to focus on. While Eric began binding the first of the prisoners, Bill shouldered in and deposited the body, now wrapped in the second bed sheet, into the bathtub. He paused to look at me before snapping the curtain closed. Obviously the gesture of concealment was made for my benefit. Very considerate.
Eric ordered him out to keep an eye on Henrik.
Gary wasn't in nearly as bad of shape as Keith. Judging from the position of the towhead's limbs, his arm was broken above the elbow and his knee was dislocated, if not broken. Eric had to set these injuries to rights so he could bind the man. I was somewhat mesmerized by the process.
"What's the plan?" I asked finally.
"We will wait for them to wake up, then find out the details of what they hoped to accomplish here, and confirm that they were working for the King of Arkansas."
"Henrik recognized Gary," I supplied. "And I guess Darcy must have too. What are you going to do about her?"
"She has gone to her final death," Eric said.
"Yeah, I caught that, but I mean, if the plan was for these guys to be found dead, and, she's still dead... probably someone's going to come along and discover that pretty soon, right?"
Eric stopped binding Keith's legs together and turned to glare at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Give me your phone," he demanded.
"Why?"
"Mine is not functioning. I did not have the plug, and the battery must have run out during the day." At least that explained why he didn't answer. "I need to call Pam. We need to leave here."
"How are you going to get these guys out?" I asked, handing over my phone.
Eric studied it for a moment, and then began to dial, ignoring my question.
"Pam...Yes. I need you to bring the van to the Trifecta now. Come to the service entrance, and bring some suitcases or a large trunk. No. Call Sookie's phone when you arrive. Yes. Let Long Shadow handle it. Yes."
Eric pushed the button to end the call and then handed my phone back to me.
"Compton," Eric said, barely louder than he had been talking to Pam.
Bill opened the door right away, though I didn't think he'd been standing right outside.
"Yes, Sheriff?"
"Contact the Queen. Let her know that we interceded a plot to murder the investigators from Arkansas, that we were able to save one of them, and that we have two of the guilty parties in custody."
"Certainly. Is there anything else you would like me to tell her?"
I didn't have to turn around to know that Bill Compton was looking directly at me. Eric was decidedly not.
"Feel free to mention that the information came from Miss Stackhouse. The Queen may wish to express her gratitude. I believe this is the second time this week that Sookie has proven useful to her and her subjects. And find out what she would like us to do with Mr. Feith. Most likely, she will want him brought to her."
"Indeed."
"After that, empty your trunk. You will be checking out and moving to your ancestral home tonight."
"Very well," Bill said.
I tried not to panic as I listened Eric's instructions. It was the most sensible thing to do. Transparency. I hadn't thought this through, at all. I'd been so focused on trying to work out their plan and then trying to prevent it, that I hadn't stopped to consider my place in the aftermath. I felt myself sinking at the same moment that Eric sprung up from the ground and caught hold of me by the hips.
"Sookie, look at me."
I did.
"You did well."
I nodded. Thank you.
"With Henrik alive and with these Weres, we have all the evidence we need."
"What about Darcy?"
"If anything the fact that the other member of the Arkansas party died will further prove the existence of the plot against us."
"I wish she had listened to me," I frowned.
Eric leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead. I gripped his shirt with both fists to keep him close to me. I had to ask something I didn't want overheard.
"It is unfortunate she would not heed your warning, but she knew them. She let them in herself," Eric said.
"Will they be there when you question them?" I breathed, far less than a whisper. I meant Bill and Henrik, and Eric seemed to understand that.
"For some," he answered, brushing his lips across my ear. "Will you?"
"Not at the same time." In for a penny, in for a pound – maybe – but not all in. I'd help Eric with his interrogation. We needed the information, and I could probably expedite the process, but I wasn't doing it in front of Bill and Henrik, that was for sure.
Eric nodded in acceptance.
"You and I have a lot to say to each other," I told him, my voice once again rising to an audible level.
"Yes," he agreed, his arms coming around me.
We stayed that way for a minute or two, while the only noise was the dull murmur of Bill speaking on the telephone in the exterior room and the rhythmic breathing of the unconscious Weres. It seemed we'd dropped most of the pretense about the nature of our association in front of the other vampires. If anything, this little pose was playing it up. I understood, as I assumed Eric did, that this little display would put to rest any questions about my presence here, and why I chose to be involved. If I were openly Eric's... then of course I would throw myself in the way of something that had the potential to do him harm.
Come to think of it, there wasn't exactly a lot of lie in that sentiment.
The vampire next to us cleared his throat to gain our attention, and Eric and I snapped our heads to the side in synchronized irritation at having our little moment so disturbed.
Henrik twitched, a slight spasm that I took for the vampire version of a full flinch, but collected himself quickly. "Sheriff, I wanted to thank you, and your woman," he added quickly, "for saving me. I do know these men as Werewolves in the employ of my... of Peter Threadgill. By your leave, I will travel to New Orleans tonight to present myself to your Queen to corroborate what has happened here, and to seek asylum."
Eric straightened, separating us, and regarded Henrik for another moment. "I will arrange for someone from my Area to travel with you in case the King of Arkansas makes any further attempts on your life. No doubt he was expecting word of your demise by now. He is likely already aware that his plan has failed."
Gary started to stir then, letting out a groan stifled by the gag that Eric had stuffed in his mouth. I waited for him to do something to silence the Were, but instead Eric shifted us out of the bathroom, shut the light, and closed the door.
"We will subdue him again before we leave. That way we can be certain of getting them out of the hotel without incident," he explained to my curious expression.
He was just a regular old-hand at this, wasn't he?
"The Queen expects you to contact her once we have moved the prisoners to a more secure location. I trust you have such a facility?" Bill asked of Eric, his eyes flicking to me.
"Yes," Eric agreed. "I will have my child take Miss Stackhouse to her home while we attend to...that. You'll be free to use our van to transport your belongings to your new residence tonight, unless you need to store them."
"I'll need to store them. I'm expected to deliver Henrik to our Queen before dawn, and of course, you will need time to have my coffin and the interior of my trunk cleaned."
"Oh, of course," Eric said.
These guys really hated each other. They reminded me a bit of Gran. The more she disliked someone, the sweeter and more polite she was when she saw them at church. "Kill them with kindness," she'd always tell me. Funny that vampires would follow the same wisdom. I had to turn away to hide my grin.
Pam called when she arrived at the loading dock, and Eric had her bring up the suitcases, along with a couple of luggage carts. Meanwhile, he, Bill, and Henrik proceeded to repack Bill's now-empty trunk and coffin with werewolves. It was probably tight fit, but none of the three were left in a state to notice. I did my best to keep out of the way.
When all of Bill's fake luggage, along with the real stuff, was loaded, we left his hotel room. Pam handed Eric the keys to the van as we waited for the elevator, along with a cell phone, since his wasn't working. The service elevator arrived before the passenger one. Before boarding the car, Eric made a show of planting a lascivious kiss on my lips which took me completely by surprise. He was gone with a wink as the wide beige doors swung shut behind him.
Pam waited for just a moment before remarking casually, "It seems someone has had an interesting day."
"You don't know the half of it," I grumbled.
"I'm eager to hear, once we leave. I'm to take you home and wait with you until Eric summons us," she said conversationally. "What are you making for dinner tonight?"
"Um. TruBlood?"
"Oh, not for me, but you should be sure to have a balanced meal. I gather you'll have a late night, and you need to keep up your strength."
I smirked stepping on to our elevator car as it arrived. There was a human couple already on board, dressed for the evening. They moved to one side while Pam and I took the other. The button for the lobby was already lit.
"More 'Dear Abby'?" I asked Pam.
"I've started a subscription to the Ladies' Home Journal. Have you finished all your holiday leftovers yet? I found some wonderful recipes. The pictures were very colorful."
"You'll have to cut them out for me," I smiled. Interesting reading. Maybe the next time she took up with a human, she'd do a better job of helping her stay hearty.
"Did you know that you can turn your leftover ham into a delicious dinner salad?" Pam inquired.
"I did not know that. That sounds..."
"My grandmother used to make the best ham salad," supplied the woman to our right.
Pam beamed at her. Despite where we'd gotten on, the couple didn't seem to register that Pam was a vampire. We shared smiles and 'good nights' with our temporary acquaintances when we parted downstairs.
"That was nice," Pam remarked. "None of the waitresses at Fangtasia seem interested in cookery."
"Why the sudden interest?" I asked, taking the lead towards the exit. Unlike Pam, I knew where my car was parked.
"A lot of the tourist women seem to discuss recipes quite a bit."
"They come all the way to Fangtasia to see real dead vampires, and spend the whole night talking about leftover turkey?"
"Some of them," Pam agreed. I tried to think back to the conversations I'd overheard on my own tourist excursion to the vampire bar and shrugged. I'd been too distracted to have retained much of anything.
Pam's hand shot up to grip around my arm. I started to say "Ouch," but she jerked me into silence. We were moving quickly across the parking lot but Pam quickened our pace even more. She had her eyes locked on two vampires a few cars over who were heading in the direction of the entrance. It was two women, one with short dark hair, and one lighter brown. I looked away quickly, focusing on the ground. They didn't stop, and neither did we, but the tense energy radiated off of Pam and settled in the pit of my stomach. I had the sneaking suspicion that the idea of an entirely clean getaway had just gone out the window.
She had her phone out as soon as we were in the car, before I even had time to hit the button for the door locks. She spoke too low and too quickly for me to hear, though I assumed she was on the phone with Eric. I drove us to my house and it didn't escape me how alert Pam remained throughout the drive. Vampires don't miss much as a general rule. Seeing her like this wasn't doing much to put me at my ease.
Neither did the way she said, "Park on the street," as we approached my house.
I didn't bother questioning her. It was shockingly early in the evening, not more than an hour after I'd first left Splendide, but the events of that hour seemed to be catching up with me incredibly quickly. Jesus Christ.
"What did I do?" I asked Pam, as if coming out of a daze.
"Exactly what you should have. Let's go inside," she suggested, already moving out of the car. She came around my side and waited for me, then took up a rear-flanking position as we walked up the path. I felt better when we reached the porch, the boundary of the wards that protected my home, and better still when the front door was locked and bolted in between us and the outside world.
"Who were they?" I asked.
"They're from Arkansas. I only know them by sight. The discovery party, most likely."
That didn't tell me anything I couldn't have guessed. "We cut it close," I said.
"Yes." Pam paused for a moment before looking me over. "Go and attend to your human needs. I want to hear everything that transpired, and I am assuming you don't want to tell me while wearing that."
The way I was feeling, I expected to look more ruffled, but my suit was still perfectly in order. "You're probably right. Help yourself to a bottled blood," I offered, trailing back down the hall.
It was a relief to shower and change. I fixed myself a salad and a frozen dinner and started to tell Pam about the day.
"They talked of killing the Queen out loud?" Pam was appalled. "Amateurs!"
"Well, if you think about it, I mean, it's not like there were any vamps around to hear them."
"No, just the Sheriff's consort."
"Is that what I am?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. I suppose it's a good enough title. I imagine every vamp from here to New Orleans has heard it by now."
"It's for the best," Pam shrugged. Rather than sitting at the table with me, she was hovering by the kitchen window. I was trying to ignore that and get through my meal.
"I suppose it was inevitable."
"You're a lovely young woman, with a good position, and your family connections, those known publicly at least, are entirely respectable. Desmond Cataliades is a trusted servant of the Queen's. You make a perfectly adequate match for Eric, even excluding all of your...extras."
"You think that's enough to keep away any other questions about me?"
"I'm sure it will be suggested that a prominent vampire having some tie to your business is a useful thing. A bit of parity, perhaps. The business is owned by a demon and managed by a daughter of Weres. That their appraiser is linked to a vampire puts it all on an even keel, so to speak. And then, I'm sure it will also be noted that his company now holds the contract for security there."
"So let them all think he is sleeping with me for influence and business advantage with Splendide."
"Better than to have them thinking he is sleeping with you because you are a telepathic fairy princess."
"I'd rather they didn't think of me at all," I mumbled.
"I don't think that's all it is though, do you?" Pam continued as though I hadn't spoken. She sounded almost distracted, and I wondered if she knew exactly what she was asking me. I wasn't sure how to answer her, but Pam didn't wait for my reply, regardless. "Sookie, I think you should go and gather any weapons you have in the house."
"And why is that?"
"The same car has passed your house three times in the last fifteen minutes. It seems like merely surveillance, but let's not count on that."
"Ah."
I sighed, and forked the last few bites of my dinner into my mouth before my chair back. I guess I was just plumb out of panic. There was no point. I wasn't even surprised, really. I'd made a decision today, and I'd be living with the consequences for the foreseeable future. All I could do now was try to stay safe. That's why Pam was here. I could only be grateful I wasn't alone.
My phone rang, and the caller ID showed it was Mr. Cataliades.
"I'll take this in the bedroom," I said quickly. Pam only nodded, keeping her eyes on the street.
"Hello?"
"Good evening, Miss Stackhouse. I understand you've had an eventful time today."
"About to get more eventful by the sound of things."
"Is something amiss? Something more than what has already transpired, that is."
"Pam is here. She says there's a car been circling the block."
"You have certainly stuck your neck out."
"Was it over the chopping block?" I asked bluntly.
"I have heard nothing like that, though I admit I was surprised by the mention of your name."
"There is a lot going on up here."
"I'd gathered that much." There was the faintest hint of irritation in his normally very soothing voice.
"You know that Threadgill is plotting to kill the Queen after they get married, right?" It was a night for laying things out there.
"That possibility has been suggested before, yes."
"Well, the guys that Eric has now are probably in the process of telling all about how much more than a suggestion it was."
"That's very interesting."
"Interesting enough that everyone forgets about me?"
"I can't predict that," he said honestly.
"It would have been much worse if I had done nothing," I defended.
"Much worse for the vampires of Louisiana, certainly."
"Nobody wants a regime change," I said. "Nobody wants a new Sheriff of Area Five, or a new Queen...do they?"
I meant him. He didn't want these things. I knew he liked his position, was comfortable in it. I admit that hadn't been front and center among my motivations for getting involved tonight, but it was true nonetheless. This king from Arkansas seemed to play fast and loose with his own territory, and with his scheming. Did we really want that in Louisiana? Even if I didn't have a personal interest, what happens with the vampires will trickle down to affect everyone. Better the foe we know than the foe we don't...
"No, Miss Stackhouse. None of us want that." There was a beat of silence as either of us recognized that we were officially throwing in with Team Sophie-Anne. At least that's what I was doing. It felt like a weighty thing. I decided I'd do what I might to support her for as long as Eric did. He liked her, I knew, because she basically left him alone. That was a quality of leadership that I could get behind.
"Has your assistance been requested in the interrogation?" Mr. C asked.
"Yes."
"Then I urge you to proceed with caution."
"I will. We will."
"Good. You'll call me before dawn?"
"I will," I agreed again.
"Be safe, Miss Stackhouse."
"You too, Mr. Cataliades."
I didn't have a lot to gather. I gave Pam her pick of the meager offering of weapons I could put together, between my own dagger and the kitchen knives. I kept the all silver one for me.
"So," Pam said, over her shouder as I sat back down at the table. "What happened after the Were guards turned their guns on you?"
I finished telling her about the evening, taking care not to leave anything out.