A/N: Sookie takes a novel approach to her security, and has a little fun with Karin. Warning for brief mention of rape.
Disclaimer: everything belongs to Charlaine Harris.
After Amelia calmed down a little, I asked her some questions about wards for my temporary lodging in New Orleans, and about one very important spell - including whether it was safe to do it repeatedly. Amelia agreed that she and Bob would arrange for whatever I needed. We also tested whether I could hear thoughts at a distance by video chat. I couldn't, which was no big surprise because I couldn't do it by phone, either.
Later that afternoon, I dropped by Sam's to let him know I had to be off for more than a week. He gave me his usual skeptical look, but it was more tempered now. Less possessive. It probably helped that not only did Sam not own me, but I now owned part of the bar.
I hoped Sam was getting along better after his death and resurrection, but I still had to assume his mom was better suited to helping him with that than I was. She'd been the one to help him through his first weeks of life the first time around, and she could do it again now. I wished Sam well and left for home, where I finished up my packing and sat down to wait for dark. I was to leave for Blood in the Quarter tomorrow, as was Karin. First, I wanted to make a special request of her.
When Karin rose after dark, I gestured for her to have a seat in the living room. "Karin, I have a very big favor to ask of you, and I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it might be extremely useful for my protection." I hesitated. "You know I have a role at the upcoming summit. I'd like to form a blood bond with you before we go."
The vampire looked quite skeptical - not surprising considering the highly unusual nature of my request. I forged ahead. "It would only be temporary. Amelia has broken a bond for me once before. She is willing to do it again."
Karin responded tersely, "After Eric was bonded to you, he knew he would never be fully free of you again. I do not wish to be so tightly bound to you."
"I don't think you and I will have that problem, Karin. With Eric, there was...more. You can talk to Amelia if you want, so she can explain the ritual. I just want...I want someone deadly to have my back, to know right away if I'm in trouble, to be able to find me if I get kidnapped again. Seems like right now that should be you. The last time I attended a summit, Andre almost bonded me against my will."
Karin growled.
"Eric saved me from that, because we had already made an exchange. He was able to come to me when he felt trouble. I believe the strengthened connection later allowed me to wake him to save him and Pam from the bombs." That seemed to soften her a bit, but not entirely.
Karin said, very carefully, "It could be seen as the two of us conspiring to break the contract. They may expect that. It would mean our deaths."
"Karin, we won't tell anyone, I promise you. If someone finds out, we'll say I ordered you to drink after healing me, so you could protect me from an attacker. A non-vampire attacker. Sometimes these things are unpredictable, are they not?"
"Yes, they are...I could defend that to the council. We must keep it from Eric and Pam. They would not approve."
"Agreed. Big time. Does that mean you'll do it?" I looked at Karin hopefully.
"I will, Sookie. It is a sensible plan for your defense, and I have heard about the breaking of your previous bond. You trust this witch to do so again?" I nodded; for this, at least, I trusted Amelia completely. "Very well. Shall we make an exchange now?" Who knew if it really would take multiple exchanges or if my past bond with Eric would change things? But I needed to be sure of something else first.
"Listen, Karin...when vampires have had my blood before, when I've had theirs in quantity, it's either been because I was dying or it's been sexual. With Bill it was both - he raped and nearly drained me." Yeah, I had some unresolved anger about that. Karen's gaze intensified at my mention of Bill's attack. I'm certain she didn't know this bit of history about my vampire neighbor across the cemetery. "I don't want this to be either life-threatening or sexual, you understand? My blood is special, I need to know if you can control yourself."
We decided to arm me with silver, just in case. I started on Karin's blood first, giving me just a tiny bit of extra strength before she would have mine. We had agreed on wrists, which seemed the least likely to get weird. She did let out a soft groan as she finally pulled away from sucking at mine, but I tried to ignore it.
Karin seemed a tiny bit foggy as she wiped my blood from her pale chin. "Karin?" She licked her lips and stared at the wall with unfocused eyes. When finally she spoke, it was slowly. "Sookie, you're...delicious."
"That's what y'all keep telling me. C'mon, get up, let's test this. Do you feel me at all?"
She nodded. "Not a full bond yet, but I can feel you."
"Great. Let's wait a couple of hours and exchange again. Then we'll test our range." I thought making the quick exchanges might be a little dangerous, but I wanted Karin to have a strong sense of me before we left town. I was curious to find out if my prior bond with Eric would have an effect, too, since he was Karin's maker.
Karin and I passed the time with some basic fighting lessons in the yard, something we'd discussed while I was in the jail. Sure, I'd been in a few fights, and Jason had taught me how to fight in barroom situations. I wanted Karin to help me with more martial arts type fighting, help me learn how to escape being held and whatnot. After I'd shown myself to not be totally hopeless, she retrieved a few knives from the kitchen. We threw them at turned-up slices of an old tree I'd had cut down, and whooped and cheered when I finally hit my target. We practiced stabbing attacks. I hadn't had fun like this in ages.
After I had a rest and a snack, we made another blood exchange. This one seemed to create an actual bond between us - I'd been right that Eric's blood might speed things along. Karin insisted we fight some more after a quick range test, and distracted me with questions about the bodies I'd mentioned on the night we found Arlene. Over the course of our good-natured sparring, I realized I could tell exactly how much of my feelings were my own, and which ones were coming from Karin. I had learned to recognize and separate them.
Eventually the vampire felt, and pushed me past, my fatigue. Karin swore she would help me learn to protect myself better, although she admitted I'd done reasonably well so far. "Sookie, although I of course would say yes to my father, I studied up on you before accepting this assignment. I find I'm pleased to protect you."
Karin had trusted me with the blood bond. It was time to let her in fully on what I'd set in motion. "Thank you, Karin. I really appreciate this. Come inside and I'll get you a blood and explain some things a little better." I didn't want her unprepared or harmed because I had kept things from her. I also didn't want myself to get hurt because she could have helped me, if I'd brought her in on things.
We sat up talking through much of the night, the closest thing to a girls' sleepover I'd had since Amelia moved out. Karin thought my proposal to Russell and Stan was clever, and seemed impressed with my plan. Stabilizing the vampire hierarchy could only make her job of protecting me easier, and might allow her to spend more time with her vampire family. Now Karin was even more supportive of our bond, and helped me think through potential threats at the summit.
We actually set up blankets and pillows in the living room and watched a movie. Karin would retreat to her travel coffin later, but for now we just hung out. Tomorrow, we'd travel to New Orleans, where I would begin screening human employees prior to the summit. Every human guest would go through me on the first day of the event as well, so it mattered that I get at least a little sleep now. I drifted off to the sound of Karin starting my old tape of Gone with the Wind.