The alarm woke me and I reached down and turned my flashlight on, then went to the washing machine to turn the alarm off. I went back and covered Eric with the quilt and studied his face. He looked the same—very pale. I wondered how long it would take a vampire to recover from silver poisoning as well as being almost drained dry.
It occurred to me that he could have killed me in my sleep and sucked me dry, and that might have sped up his recovery. Was I a fool to trust this vampire whom I barely knew? But then, I could also stake him right now and he'd never wake up. I guess we just had to trust each other to get through this.
I went upstairs to my very natural bathroom—used my favorite bush and brushed my teeth with bottled water. Then I went into the house and changed into a clean outfit and drove to work.
Amelia and Jake were sitting at the counter eating breakfast and Jake jumped up and poured me a cup of coffee and scooped me up a bowl of oatmeal with berries—just like theirs.
As we sat and ate, I asked about Amelia's thumb.
She answered, "It's okay. Although little things are a challenge—like getting dressed. I can't get it wet."
"Well, let me know if you need any help with anything."
"I guess you heard about that terrorist bombing in Shreveport yesterday," she said.
"What? No."
"The paper's on my desk."
I jumped up and ran into the office to retrieve the newspaper. The headline read: Shreveport Times Bombed. I felt sick to my stomach.
I returned to the counter and read the story while Jake cleaned up our dishes. Seven people were known to have died in the bombing and C.J. Hinkton was listed among the dead. Homeland Security suspected Muslim extremists, but I knew that those responsible were about as Muslim as I was.
I was fighting a wave of panic and trying to keep from crying when Amelia interrupted my thoughts and pointed to my wrist.
"What happened? Do you need a band aid?"
"Oh, yeah." I had forgotten about the tiny hole I'd made on my wrist to feed Eric. "I just got poked by an old nail yesterday when I was helping my uncle with the house. It's nothing."
"The band aids are in the bathroom." I could hear in her thoughts that she thought the wound was unsightly and she didn't want the customers grossed out.
"Thanks."
I returned the paper to Amelia's desk and found a band aid to cover the little wound and then went out to the dining room to begin my shift.
Fortunately, I was too busy all morning and early afternoon to think too much about the fact that I was indirectly responsible for the deaths of seven people in Shreveport.
After the restaurant closed and Jake, Amelia, and I had enjoyed a plate of the spaghetti special, I stayed a bit to help Amelia with a few chores.
I folded the laundry left in her dryer and put things away in her bedroom in the back of the house and then cleaned the bathroom I used before showering in it. I tossed my soggy band aid in the trash when I got out of the shower.
Before I left, Amelia paid me and gave me a little something extra for my chores.
"Could I trouble you to come back tomorrow?" she asked.
"Actually, if you can use me, I'd love to come every day until your hand is healed."
She squealed and gave me a little hug. "I was hoping you'd say that! Is it okay if I pay you in cash? If you'd prefer, we can fill out the paper work and have taxes taken out."
"No, really, cash is great. There's no need for the paper work since it's just short term. And for tomorrow afternoon, just make me a list of things you need done, okay? I'm happy to help out."
I stopped on the street and bought a paper to take home to Eric.
When I got home, I put my dress on and washed out my clothes in the creek before hanging them in the bathroom. Then I went downstairs, lit the candles and napped on my vampire.
When I woke up, I sat up a little and looked at Eric. His eyes were open and he gave me a very sweet smile. I smiled back and his fangs plopped down.
"Hungry?" I asked.
He nodded and I felt his hand take my wrist and pull it to his lips.
"Wait. We can't do it there again. Someone noticed today. It has to be somewhere that doesn't show."
He released my wrist and touched the collar of my dress as his eyes fell on my chest. I unbuttoned the first few buttons and exposed my chest, carefully keeping the fabric covering my nipples. Eric's thumb gently rubbed the swell of my breast and I bent forward and closed my eyes as he bit.
It stung at first, but as he sucked the tiny puncture wounds, I felt a distinct pull of lust between my legs. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling. Since Bill's illness and disappearance, it seemed all I'd felt were bad feelings, and this one good feeling swept me away.
Eric was quick, careful not to take too much, and as soon as he'd finished, he gently licked the tiny holes. Then he brought my wrist to his mouth, letting the fabric of my dress fall away from my body slightly as he took my arm away, and licked that little wound as well. My other hand was supporting my weight and so I just let the dress fall open.
I opened my eyes and watched his tongue as it bathed my wrist. Without my arm holding the dress to me, my nipples were exposed, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were still half-closed from the pleasure of feeding. As soon as he finished tending to my wrist, I scooted down, lay my head on his chest and closed my eyes.
Eric wrapped his arms around me and I began to cry into his chest. I was so heartbroken over the loss of Bill, and so guilty about my sudden lustful feelings for Eric—a vampire I barely knew. Then, I thought of the people who had died in Shreveport because of my phone call and wept even harder.
"What is it, Sookie?" Eric's voice sounded a little stronger.
I sat up and buttoned my dress and stopped crying. Then I retrieved the newspaper from my purse and showed it to him as I pulled my lawn chair over and sat down.
"You know I called that reporter yesterday at The Shreveport Times and told him what was going on, and today he and six other people are dead."
Eric held the paper and read it in light too dim for human eyes. Then he looked back to me and said, "This isn't your fault."
"Of course it's my fault! I called that man thinking if the world knew what was going on, it would stop. The bad guys would lose. But that isn't what happened, is it?"
"I need you to call someone in New Orleans for me. Can you do that?"
"I don't know, Eric. Look what happened to the guy I called yesterday."
"These are vampires. We can trust that they won't be a part of the conspiracy to kill our kind, and they can investigate with better stealth. They have more experience and less trust than human reporters. Although I do think that your idea to tell the press is a good one. We just need to change our strategy a bit."
"Okay." I wiped my tears and got a pen and piece of paper from my purse. I felt a little better that he'd called it "our" strategy. It made me feel a little less alone.
Eric wrote a number down and said, "Ask for Rasul or Andre. Speak to no one else. Tell them all that you know me and that I am recovering, but don't disclose our location. Do you understand?"
"Yes." I took the paper and pen and put them in my purse. "I'll be back in a little while."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Eric."
I drove to a pay phone by the post office and called the New Orleans number. A woman answered.
"Yes, hello. Can I please speak to Rasul or Andre?"
"They are indisposed. May I help you?"
"When will they be available? I really need to speak to one of them."
"I'm not sure, but I'll be happy to take a message."
"No thanks. I'll call back another time."
When I got back to Eric, I told him about the call. We agreed that it was quite possible that the vampires in New Orleans were either sick or drained as well. He explained their system of government to me and expressed his concern for the vampires in the palace.
"It is unlikely that they have had the good fortune of finding a kind human such as yourself to care for them. I have no idea, frankly, why you would care for me."
"Because you were sick … drained. It's not like I could just leave you there."
"Why not?"
I didn't even know how to answer that. Before I could think of a response, he continued.
"As you can see, we are extremely vulnerable when we're suffering from silver poisoning. I can't thank you enough for your protection and care. You've been extremely kind."
"Do you think all vampires are sick like this?"
"I don't know. I hardly drank True Blood, and yet I was poisoned. I can't imagine there are many vampires that drank none at all. We don't know how much of the supply was tainted. Was it only in Shreveport and the surrounding towns? In the entire state? Beyond that?"
"Good question. It's a little overwhelming to think about. Did you ever notice it tasted different?"
"No, but even a trace amount—undetected by taste and probably even harmless to humans, would be enough to make a vampire sick. We are very sensitive to silver, unfortunately. And without knowing the source of our illness, we would continue to drink the poisoned blood, making us even weaker."
"I kept making Bill drink more, thinking it would help him."
I bit my lower lip so I wouldn't cry thinking of Bill. Eric was quiet for a moment as well before he went on.
"I can feel that Pam, my child, is still alive, but she doesn't respond to my call. I'm very concerned for her."
"I'm sorry, Eric."
I went outside to use my bush and brush my teeth and then went down and got in bed again with Eric. As I turned the flashlight off, Eric said, "I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you. This is extremely frustrating for me."
"It's okay. I just hope you get better soon."
I took Eric's hand in mine again and held it to me like a security blanket and soon I was fast asleep.
