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WARNING: Part of this chapter deals with a very delicate topic. It's nothing graphic and we don't go into detail either but for those of you who don't want to read it, we marked the most important section so you can skip it if you want. Although there are still hints throughout the chapter, so you are warned.
Chapter 14:
As we stepped off the plane into the heat of the Louisiana night I had the feeling I was walking into a brick oven; after the air conditioning of the airplane it felt hotter and more humid than ever.
I looked around for someone waving a sign with our names on it but no luck. Instead Diantha, who'd traveled with us, went down the stairs and straight to another limousine and popped the trunk so Eric could put our bags in.
Once we were settled in the back we were off like a shot making me scream as she accelerated hard and fast. Fortunately she slowed down once we reached the main street since I wanted to see the sights; not that there was much to see that time of night but it was still nice that I wasn't in the car with another Indy driver wannabe. It didn't take us long to reach our destination, only ten minutes or so but it took twice as long to get through all the security as it did to drive over.
When we finally made it to the front entrance the car doors were opened by a very good looking Arabian vampire. Eric got out first then gave me his hand to help me step out of the car. Up close the vampire looked even more beautiful. He was almost as tall as Eric and had a powerful build. His chiseled face was framed with a red and black turban and black mustache and goatee; he must have been turned in his mid twenties, though his deep brown-green eyes told me it had been a long time ago. When I touched his void with my mind it felt heavy but not nearly as heavy as Eric's and it felt full of memories. If I had to guess I would say he was about 500 years old but I couldn't tell you how I knew that.
The vampire bowed to us before he addressed Eric in a very familiar manner, "Eric, long time no see," as he smiled and then he did something that surprised me to no end. He stretched out his arm and they greeted each other by clasping each others forearms. I thought vampires didn't touch at all whether it was a human - unless it was for feeding - or each other?
Eric turned and introduced me, "Sookie, meet Rasul, he's the queen's Chief of security. Rasul, this is Sookie Stackhouse, my future lover and soon to be bonded." He gave me a mischievous smirk as he said that.
I arched an eyebrow and snorted, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Mister My-ego-is-bigger-than-Texas!"
Rasul chuckled, "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Stackhouse. I'm looking forward to seeing the old man being taken down a few notches."
I couldn't help but laugh as Eric scowled at the reference to his age. My curiosity was piqued though, "Likewise Rasul. If you don't mind me asking, how do you know each other?" If they were greeting each other like that there must be a reason for it.
He and Eric shared a secretive look and Eric gave him a barely there nod, before Rasul turned back to me and explained, "Eric is my vampire brother. We share the same maker."
My eyes widened at the revelation and my curiosity turned into excitement at the prospect of meeting someone else from his family. I could feel amusement coming through the bond and my thoughts turned wicked, "If you have a few minutes while we're here, maybe you could tell me about the shenanigans he pulled when he was younger? I'd love to hear about them," I said, then leaned towards him and stage whispered, "I need leverage!"
Rasul laughed heartily at that. Damn, that man … vampire … was gorgeous. If I wasn't in love with Eric already I could totally see myself crushing over his brother like a damn teenager mooning over one of the Jonas Brothers.
Eric gave him a dark stare and Rasul must have seen that he was about to overstep his bounds if he so much as opened his mouth. But he wasn't fazed by it so he just gave me a wink and told me that he was several centuries younger than Eric so didn't have much to tell - which I didn't believe for even one second - as he led us up the stairs to the entrance.
I leaned to Eric while we were walking up the steps and murmured to him, "Spoilsport!"
He just gave me an evil smirk.
Bastard!
I barely had time to admire the decor of the entrance hall as we were ushered up the winding staircase on the left side of the room and down a corridor to a set of doors which were next to each other.
"Please make yourselves comfortable. The queen will expect you in 30 minutes so you have time to freshen up," Rasul said before he disappeared.
I had a beautifully appointed suite! A suite! Not just a bedroom but a bedroom, bathroom with the largest bathtub I had ever seen with a separate shower, a sitting room and a whole wall of glass which overlooked Canal Street!
And the bed! It was huge! Ten of me could have fit on that thing and still had room left over!
I shook my head in bewilderment and went to rummage through my garment bag and suitcase for one of the new dresses and related accessories Pam had forced on me.
Fifteen minutes later I was refreshed, changed and ready to go. I was sitting on the bed while nervously twiddling my thumbs when there was a knock on the door. I was confused for a second because the knock didn't come from the bedroom door I'd gone through earlier but from a connecting door I hadn't even noticed until then. When I opened it Eric was standing in front of me in a dashing gray suit and black button down shirt. My heart started beating faster at the sight of him. Damn that man looked good in a suit. I couldn't help but ogle him.
Eric smirked at me when he saw my appreciation, "See something you like," he purred, sounding for all the world like a big contented cat!
I was worrying my lip and could only manage a nod and an, "Uh huh."
He closed the gap between us in one big step and sucked the lip I was biting right into his mouth.
Wrapping his arms around me he pulled me against him and I moaned as I felt his hard body against mine from top to bottom. Holy hell that man was hard all over, not just his … gracious plenty.
Cookie was purring happily and tried to encourage me to jump him; she was all but physically pushing me.
No, not happening, not there in the queen's palace and with so many sharp ears. Not to mention I wasn't about to reward Eric with such a thing when he all but told me there would be no sex until we were bonded - even if I'd grudgingly agreed with him on the plane. I needed to content myself with feeling him this way. And wasn't anticipation the sweetest torture? Wouldn't that make our first time together that much more enjoyable, just as he had said?
Cookie didn't seem to care about that one bit. She was huffing and puffing and rolling her eyes at me.
Well, too bad! I was in charge, not her!
Coming back to the present our tongues were dueling as if they were on a battlefield but they seemed to be having too much fun dancing around each other for one of them to attempt the final strike.
Unfortunately I was the one who had to admit defeat eventually because I desperately needed to breathe. Panting heavily I opened my eyes and looked at him through a lust filled haze. I wasn't the only one affected either; Eric's pupils were dilated and his fangs had snapped down as he looked at me like a hungry lion - though not hungry for food, I'm sure.
I gulped because my resistance to him was waning fast and I knew that if I wasn't careful my last bit of resolve would go right out the window, promise or not.
So I tried to remember where we were: In the palace of the Queen of Louisiana, for Christ's sake! Hell no! Not gonna happen there.
I doused my lust with an imaginary pitcher of ice cold water and said, "The queen's expecting us." I didn't even know how long we had been standing there like that.
Eric let out a frustrated growl but nodded, "You're right. We shouldn't keep her waiting," but then he smirked and gave me a smoldering look which would have made my panties go poof into thin air if it were at all possible, "but this isn't over!"
Wowza! A shiver of anticipation went through me before I locked my spine and scraped together the last bits of resolve - again, "Hmpf," I said, "Judging by what happened on the plane I'm not getting my hopes up any then."
Eric looked at me darkly, "Does that mean you don't even want to fool around? Just a little bit?" He leaned into me and murmured, "If I recall correctly, you enjoyed being thrown onto the desk and taken advantage of very much!"
I was getting wet with arousal at the reminder but I gave him a very toothy grin, "That was before the plane ride. I'm not caving; if you can hold back and refuse me then I can return the favor."
I could feel that he was just as frustrated as I was and that it wouldn't take much for us to end up in bed, or on the floor, the wall, in the shower … Cookie was most definitely thinking along the same lines as Eric and I were. Unfortunately for her I had more self control than she did and since the body we were using belonged to me, we were going to go by my rules, not hers!
As we made our way down the stairs he whispered in my ear, "You look beautiful," in a very suggestive way. Waves of lust and other promises, spoken and implied, came through the bond and I had to grit my teeth not to moan out loud.
I tried to put on a brave face and said, "Nope, still won't sway me!"
His rumbling laughter echoed through the hall and I was smiling the whole way to the throne room.
Ten minutes later I was finally standing face to face with Hadley. Six years of wondering and worrying that she'd died in an alley somewhere and was buried in a Potter's Field of Jane Does was finally at an end. While I was glad she wasn't a Jane Doe I couldn't help but feel angry; she'd had Gran searching high and low for her and while I had been able to tell her that Hadley was still alive, Gran died without being able to see her, or at least speak with her, one last time.
After we'd been let into the throne room by two look-alike giants who had been standing guard on either side of the double doors, the queen surprised me as she welcomed me much more warmly than I had thought she would.
I don't know what I had expected the Queen of Louisiana to look like but definitely not the woman standing in front of me. She was petite, maybe 5'2 or 5'3 with a classic hourglass figure à la Marilyn Monroe which most women would kill to have. She looked very young; she had probably been in her mid to late teens when she was turned. Flaming red hair framed her flawless and very pale face but the most striking thing about this woman was her eyes; they were such a brilliant shade of green they reminded me of the emerald gemstone.
After the introductions were over she revealed that she had a surprise for me and led me to a side room where Hadley had been sitting on an antique sofa; she rose and curtsied to the queen, even giving her a big smile and thanking her for escorting me herself but once the door closed behind Eric and the queen Hadley slipped right back into character.
That's where we were at the moment: We were standing in the middle of the room appraising and criticizing each other in our heads. I had to admit though that she looked good. Her skin had a healthy glow and her body had filled out much better than the last time I'd seen her.
A minute or two went by with neither of us saying a word. Hadley had never learned to be patient though and was the first to crack: Her lips twisted into a sugary sweet smile which I didn't buy for a second, "Hello Sookie! I'm happy to see you."
Shivers went up and down my spine. Even her voice was fake and you could hear a hint of smugness in it as well.
I still said nothing, just looked at her while my swirling emotions slowly turned to anger. How dare she? How dare she stand there after so many years, looking all innocent and smug as if nothing had happened and was proud of herself for snagging a rich girlfriend while Gran had been worried sick about her well being.
Hadley quickly showed her impatience with my silence because her gaze turned wickedly evil, "I'm talking to you, you bitch! I'm the queen's favorite! You better greet and respect me the way I deserve!"
Oh please! I snorted and raised an eyebrow à la Eric. Not even five minutes into our reunion and she was trying to oppress me like she'd always done.
She didn't like my reaction to that at all and suddenly she closed the distance between us and lunged at me.
Everything happened very fast then.
Even though I hadn't seen that one coming my reflexes seemed to be sharp as a big cat's. I moved to the side and out of the way and at the same time tripped her up. Her legs went flying forward and out from under her and she landed flat on her back with a loud thud.
Ouch! That had to have hurt.
Both of us were too stunned by what had happened; she was on her back looking at the ceiling with wide, surprised eyes while I was looking down at her open mouthed, not really comprehending what I'd just done.
Less than a second later the door burst open and Eric and the queen rushed in with their fangs down, ready for an attack. Taking in the scene before them though, they relaxed again.
I would have never thought such a petite woman as the queen would be capable of speaking with so much authority as she demanded, "What happened here?"
I could barely suppress a cringe but I was quick to explain: I didn't want to get on her bad side, "I'm very sorry, your Majesty, but Hadley attacked me. I just defended myself."
That got Hadley's attention pretty quick and she scrambled to her feet again, "I did not! She's my favorite cousin. I just wanted to give her a hug for old times' sake." Her sickeningly sweet voice was back and I wanted to puke.
Favorite cousin my ass! Her favorite 'punching bag' maybe but certainly not cousin.
"If I'm your favorite cousin why did you call me a bitch and brag about being the queen's favorite and demand the 'respect you deserve': Respect is earned, not demanded." I had never been one to be a tattle-tale but the queen needed to hear the truth about the real Hadley.
The queen's head whipped around and pinned Hadley with a fierce stare, "Hadley?" She looked surprised at Hadley's actions.
Listening to Hadley's thoughts was just like it always had been; none too bright and painful for me. Apparently she had been able to fool the queen; her thoughts were anything but complimentary.
My cousin went all mushy and tried to look innocent. Her lower lip stuck out like she was pouting and started wobbling like she was going to cry, "I did not. She's lying!" Gosh, even her voice sounded like a petulant child right then. Even after so many years she hadn't grown up a bit.
I could feel Eric's hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down since I'm sure he could feel my growing anger.
Finally, rather than embarrass myself with an outburst, I backed away and put Eric between the two of us.
Cookie didn't care for my move at all. She had bared her teeth and was growling low in her throat because she didn't want to understand that I didn't want to make a scene in front of the most important vampire in the state, especially when I'd just met her: I was the better human in the room.
I could feel tears pricking my eyes and I didn't want anyone to see me like that, much less the queen. It was mostly angry tears that wanted to come to the surface as I remembered every mean thing Hadley had done to me over the years; all the little jabs and comments she'd made, all the actions she had taken to make me feel like a freak while she and her friends laughed in my face and every single time she had shoved and pushed me around just so she could be the center of attention.
What's that saying? Misery loves company? Yeah, that was Hadley. She was never happy unless she was making someone else miserable.
Hadley held true to form: Instead of giving me time to calm down and gain control of myself she came around Eric and reached out to turn me around to face her but Eric was much faster and put himself between us again. He planted himself strong and tall directly in front of her, "You have been with the queen for four years and you still haven't learned not to touch what doesn't belong to you," he said in a low threatening tone.
Eric was becoming angry himself! Very angry! And it threatened to consume me as well since it came through the bond completely unfiltered.
'Of course I know that, moron. But she does belong to me; always has and always will, she's family', Hadley thought as she gave the queen a grin.
THAT had me out from behind Eric in a flash, all thoughts of calming down gone as quickly as her thoughts had gone through her mind. Nobody insulted my Eric even if it was just in their heads.
Cookie nodded enthusiastically, I think she even swiped her claws through the air a couple of times to indicate a cat fight.
And … my Eric? Where did that come from?
'Oh, he's ours. There's no doubt about that,' she snarled and flexed her razor sharp claws.
I didn't let her distract me from my target though. I needed to get something off my chest, "Eric is not a moron! He's been good to me, much better than my blood family in fact! As far as I'm concerned he's been more a family member in the last month than you have been - ever!
"As for me being your family," I yelled, "as far as I'm concerned only Jason is left.
"Because of your selfishness and your all demanding need for attention, you're the reason Gran's dead. You're the reason I was nearly killed and you're," I poked a finger into her chest, "the reason I'm even here at all!"
'Snort, Gran, the crazy old bat wouldn't help me when I needed it,' Hadley thought darkly.
Rage consumed me at that, so much rage. My eyes narrowed to slits as I started to take a step towards Hadley with my hands balled into fists and already half way up.
Cookie was heartily endorsing what I had planned for her but I felt Eric's arms go around my waist and pull me to him. Cookie was roaring and scratching at the ground, wanting to be let out so badly.
I held onto Eric's arms like they were my lifeline. The contact helped me calm down a bit after a moment so I was able to form words again, "If you want to say something, say it out loud and not just in your head. And Gran was not a crazy old bat! She loved you Hadley! She was heartbroken when she thought one of her grandbabies was dead and beyond her help. She wanted to help you so bad but what did you do? You stole the money she wanted to give you for the rehab center, even though she couldn't really afford to do so, and just disappeared.
"We've spent the last six years thinking you were dead in a gutter somewhere and you couldn't be bothered to spend 37 cents on a damn stamp or spend nothing and call collect when you were on you own? Eric said you've been at the palace for four years now: I bet there are a lot of cellphones around, even plain old landlines, yet you didn't have the decency to lift a finger and ask to borrow one just once?"
The queen looked at Hadley in disappointment, "Hadley, you've told me all this time that your family wanted nothing to do with you, that even though you called every Sunday they let you go to the answering machine or hung up on you."
My eyes went wide when I heard that she had been calling after all even as her cheeks turned red in embarrassment. She hadn't called at all as far as I knew.
I was just about to shake my head and deny the queen's statement when Hadley screamed at me, "Shut up, you bitch!"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back and I struggled mightily against Eric. I'd had enough of her meanness over the years and I had finally reached my limit but Eric wasn't letting go.
The rage, which I'd finally started calming down from, spiked so hard and so fast that I literally saw red. Sparks started to dance again where Eric was touching my naked arms: Touching Eric seemed to make whatever was happening with me stronger.
As I gripped his arms it felt like something was sucking all the air out of the room. Hadley fell to her knees, grasping at her chest and gasping for air that wasn't there. Cookie was cheering me on, telling me that she was getting what was coming to her in spades.
I spoke up again, "No, I won't keep quiet any longer, Hadley! Almost all my life you've discriminated against me, made fun of me and gone out of your way to make sure my life was miserable just so you could be the center of attention. But no more! You're game of lying and deceiving people is over!"
But Hadley was stronger than I thought or my new found power wasn't strong enough just yet. Either way, she got up from her knees and came at me again. It was so fast that I didn't even have time to react this time. She didn't even care that Eric was standing behind me as she slapped me so hard my head jerked to the side.
Shock went through me at her audacity and it broke my concentration. Suddenly there was air in the room again as it whooshed in from wherever it had gone and then I heard a roar that shook the walls around us and made my ears ring; it took me a second to realize it was Eric, "You dare touch what is mine?! You were warned Hadley. I have had enough of your disrespect!"
Hadley laughed once she had gotten air back into her lungs. Wasn't she scared of the angry lion behind me? Didn't she have any respect? "I'm not afraid of you," she said tauntingly. "You can't do anything to me: I'm with Sophie-Anne and she's your queen!" She looked absolutely thrilled with the status quo although only she was happy with the way she was acting.
"Hadley!" The queen had taken a seat on the antique couch earlier to let us get it all out. I was very surprised that she had been so patient up until then. She did seem to have reached her limit though as she finally spoke up, "You will respect MY Sheriff even if you don't respect your cousin!
"I must say, I'm disappointed in you. If I had known you were capable of such despicable behaviour while in the presence of guests I would have banned you to your room, reunion or not. You shame me!"
Surprisingly Sophie-Anne did nothing more than reprimand Hadley even though she had much more than that coming to her. Eric wasn't having any of that though, he'd had enough of Hadley's mouth, "Sophie-Anne, if you don't do something about her I will and you know it."
Sophie-Anne looked down at the floor in deference, "Yes Eric, do with her as you will, just please, I ask that you leave her alive."
Huh? Why was Eric telling the queen anything? Shouldn't it be the other way around, just like Hadley said? And why was she acting like he was her parent and looking guilty?
Well, I guess the guilt could be on behalf of Hadley but still…
"And we'll be…," he stopped suddenly, like he was about to say something he shouldn't and changed his mind. "We'll discuss things in private later."
What was there to discuss? Hadley had been disrespectful to an elder and deserved to be punished, simple.
Sophie-Anne kept her head down as she nodded to let Eric know she'd heard him.
Hadley's mouth was open like she was going to say something when her mind suddenly went blank and she sank to her knees again.
'Hmm, she looks good down there,' Cookie purred and then cackled evilly; I had to agree since I was sure she had spent more time on her knees than on her feet during her life.
I looked over my shoulder at Eric and sure enough he had her in his gaze, "Hadley, you will remain where you are, how you are and you will remain silent unless it is to answer a direct question. I will decide on your punishment later."
She nodded mutely and her mind remained blissfully quiet for a few moments but then it came back in full force as he released her from his glamour.
Her mind told me that she was trying to get up, not liking her submissive position in front of the three of us, but she couldn't move a muscle other than those required for breathing and blinking. When she tried to voice her displeasure her mind exploded in a cacophony of curse words that would have put a sailor to shame. It would have had her gathering a willow switch so Gran could stripe her legs for such language.
I couldn't help the snicker that escaped my careful control though. When she realized that I was listening in on her again, her thoughts turned sugary sweet, 'Sookie, please, I'm sorry. Please, get him to let me up Sookie, please.'
I snorted in disgust which earned me a curious looked from both Eric and the queen, "Hadley, you're about as sorry for what you've said and done as a rattler is for biting somebody; so no I'm not going to ask Eric to release you from his glamour but I am going to take advantage of your silence.
"You do know that if you had given Gran any indication at all that you were alive she would have been on the first plane down here or I would have driven her myself just so she could have the peace of mind of knowing that her middle grandchild was alive and happy, right?" She nodded and opened her mouth to answer but I just kept right on talking, not giving her the chance to voice her displeasure.
"You were in Gran's prayers every single night of the last six years, Hadley. She loved you just as much as she loved me or Jason, probably more because she knew you needed help. She would have done anything for you!
"We learned too late that you are still alive; I told her while she was on her deathbed that I had finally found you. She was happier than I had seen her in years.
"If Gran had lived she would have insisted on coming down here to see you just so she could see with her own eyes that you really were okay. I know she wanted you home for your Momma's funeral but we didn't have any way to get in touch with you so we could tell you."
Her eyes went wide and her eyes started shimmering with tears, 'Momma's dead?'
I nodded, "Uterine cancer about a year after you left. You would have known that if you had cared about your family at all. But you didn't, did you?"
She struggled against the gag order but was unsuccessful so she finally resorted to talking to me with her mind. Ignoring the last part as she said, 'I suppose Little Miss Perfect was there for her,' her mind yelled at me.
I didn't understand her anger any better then than I ever had when we were growing up. I guess my confusion showed on my face because she tried to clarify for me. Hadley smiled, it was all teeth and the look in her eyes was murderous,'You were always Little Miss Perfect, Miss Goody Two Shoes. Everybody loved Sookie. Everybody doted on Sookie. Everybody tried to protect Little Miss Perfect from the world but when Hadley had a problem she had to handle it alone!' she thought mockingly. Even her thoughts sounded like a child who was being reprimanded for jumping on the bed or playing near the river.
Rather than continue the farce I dug into her brain and was horrified at what I saw there; the skeletons in our closet just got another member, "Why didn't you say something Hadley? That's why they were looking out for me; I told Gran. Gran and Aunt Linda were protecting me from him and people like him," I whispered.
She shook her head and the look on her face confused me even more than I already was, "You don't understand Little Miss Perfect," she sneered and taunted. Apparently I had finally asked a question rather than making a statement in the form of a question I didn't want answered. "I was his favorite. He came to me every time until you came along, then when my tits started coming in he wouldn't even look at me any more! It was always Sookie this and Sookie that, never Hadley any more!"
My mind went blank until I suddenly found myself in the bathroom on my knees and bent over the toilet bowl. Thank god because I had no recollection of how or when I got there or even how long I had been praying to the porcelain gods.
I heaved and cried for a long time until there was a knock on the door, "Sookie?" Eric's concerned voice said from the other side, "I have some things here for you."
I startled and looked up and around me. It wasn't a bathroom, it was a powder room; a plain old utilitarian powder room! Who would have thought that in a place the size of the queen's palace they'd have just a plain, simple powder room with a toilet, sink and mirror!
I started to laugh then. Crazy, maniacal, cathartic laughter!
Eric threw open the door then and took the one step needed to reach me, dropping whatever was in his hands as he enveloped me in his strong arms, "Sookie?" He sounded … scared?
I relaxed into his embrace for a long moment before I looked up at him with tears still covering my cheeks and dripping off my chin and soaking his shirt again.
"Are you okay Sookie? What's going on?"
I shook my head, "I'm not really alright but I will be. I just figured out what's going on with Hadley."
He raised a quizzical eyebrow and waited for me to finish my thoughts but I shook my head again, "It has to do with family history and skeletons in the closet, Eric. I'm not sure I'm ready to reveal my demons just yet."
'Sooooooooookkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee', Cookie was sing-songing at me. 'You can tell our story and then they will help us plot our revenge'. She let out an evil chuckle right then that made me feel then, more than ever, that she was a part of me. Deep down I had wanted to deal with that particular demon for a long time but Gran didn't want to turn him in and she had raised me to always turn the other cheek.
With everything that had happened to me lately; from the attack by Renée to how I felt when I was in Eric's arms to the information Fintan and Gran left for me I was beginning to think that not everything I had been taught growing up was right: It was alright to be angry, it was good to let people know you were angry and I was beginning to think that revenge was a fine idea.
I could see just how it would play out in my head too, unfortunately a certain vampire had other ideas, "Sookie?" That seemed to be his favorite question.
I sighed, "Sorry, I got caught up in thoughts of revenge." I stepped back from him a little bit when I heard a quiet growl and looked up at him and almost laughed at the pleased look plastered on his face, "Look Eric, this is my particular demon and I want to take care of it myself. I'll gladly take any advice or help you care to offer but I want to do it for myself," I said with conviction.
His fangs ran down, "Oh really?" He sounded almost ecstatic at the mere thought of revenge.
I nodded, "Yep, really. Now, what were you carrying when you came in here?"
He almost looked ashamed, "The queen dropped off some things she thought you might require." He bent down and picked up a new, still in the package toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb and brush and a change of clothing.
I raised an eyebrow at him and asked skeptically, "The queen dropped these things off herself?"
He nodded, "She did. She also said to tell you to take your time."
I smiled and took the toothbrush and paste from him. That little act alone made me feel almost back to normal. Brushing my hair and washing my face sealed the deal. "Thank you Eric, I feel much better now." I grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze after cleaning up the little bit of a mess I'd made, "Can you give me a minute to take care of some other business in here please? Since I'm in here I might as well."
He smiled and squeezed my hand and closed the door behind him.
As we were walking back to the queen's personal chambers - I guessed for more privacy - I told him that he was finally going to hear why a certain name had irritated me so much the night after we met: It would be best if the queen heard it as well since it apparently had something to do with Hadley too. Besides, I only wanted to tell that story once.
We were admitted to the queen's private chambers immediately by the two mountains she called children: I called them 'the Berts'.
Sigebert and Wybert were apparently brothers when they were human and the queen had turned them on the same night.
Unfortunately Eric must have come back and released Hadley from his glamour - for reasons completely beyond me - because she was agitated and had started stalking around the room.
Sigh, I had a feeling that it was going to be be a long night.
Hadley looked about as happy to see me as I was to see her but the queen smiled and asked, "Are you feeling better, Sookie?"
I nodded and smiled back, "I am Ma'am, thank you. I have a story to tell you and it's what caused me to be so upset."
She looked interested but Hadley lunged at me, "NO! You can't tell! You can't!"
The queen had Hadley around her middle and yanked her back and put a hand over her mouth, then she nodded at me to continue.
So I said, "I can and I will Hadley. It's time this foolishness stopped. I have a feeling you haven't told anyone what went on so long ago, even though you live with the guilt and the hatred. It's time to move on Hadley. Let it go and move on with your life."
Eric led me to one of the sofas in the room and I settled in. It was going to be a long night and I wanted to be as comfortable as possible since the subject matter was anything but comfortable for me.
Eric sat down and put his arm around my shoulders, making me feel like anything was possible; even the revenge I was starting to want very badly.
- skip here -
"Majesty, as you can probably tell this is not an easy story to tell. I wouldn't tell it at all but you need to know what's going through Hadley's mind; why she's acting the way she is and why I got so upset." She nodded for me to continue, "Our grandmother has a brother but he isn't right in the head; he likes little girls."
The queen looked horror stricken but she looked at both me and Hadley with the light of understanding in her eyes and Eric pulled me a little closer to him.
I don't know which one of us it was supposed to comfort because I could feel his anger rising in synch with my own. Regardless, having him so near gave me the strength to finish my story.
Nearly an hour later I finished my tale, "So you see, Hadley feels guilty for enjoying it, for wanting the attention he gave her. He was the only male role model she really had after Grandpa died since her father skipped out on my Aunt Linda shortly after she was born and my daddy died when we were young too. Her own father barely even sent her a birthday or Christmas card, let alone a gift or a phone call once in a while.
"Bartlett," I spat that name because it was leaving a foul taste in my mouth, "was her babysitter while Aunt Linda was at work since she was a single mom with no support coming in from Hadley's dad."
- continue here -
I don't think there was a dry eye in the room; well except maybe Eric's eyes were dry. It felt like he was plotting something and if I had to guess I'd say he was planning Bartlett's demise.
I looked at him sharply, "You're plotting his death, aren't you?"
He nodded, too angry to actually voice his answer, "I want my revenge Eric, and I want to do it myself." I had crossed my arms over my chest and my gaze turned steely once he admitted to his plotting.
"You will accept help and ideas though," he asked through gritted teeth and I could see his fangs had run down as well. I nodded, relaxing my posture a little bit, "Very well, but I will insist on being there with you."
I gave him a huge smile and an even bigger kiss on the cheek, "Thank you Eric. This means a lot to me."
The queen was holding Hadley tightly; she was crying and screaming that it was wrong to kill somebody, he didn't deserve it and some of the pictures running through her mind made me wish I was back in that powder room. I wanted to point out that according to her it was okay to throw her own cousin under the bus for her own selfish reasons but refrained. It's not like it would have helped anyway.
Fortunately there was a knock at the door before I could open my mouth and a stocky man with salt-and-pepper hair and bright blue eyes was admitted, "Ah, Desmond, just in time, as always," the queen said and smiled at the man.
The name rang a bell in my brain, "Desmond Cat … Catal … good grief, Mr. Desmond C.? A friend of Fintan Brigant's?" I asked quietly.
He smiled and nodded at me, "One and the same my dear. I was sorry to hear of Adele's passing."
I nodded, "Thank you."
The queen looked at me sharply, "You knew Fintan?" she asked.
I nodded, "Sort of, he died before I was old enough to remember much about him but he was my grandfather, Hadley's too."
"That explains the fairy blood," she exclaimed, looking excited at the revelation.
Then she continued, "You are both fairy princesses although if my guess is correct, and given your little display earlier, you have the fairy spark."
I looked at her in surprise but a little fear as well. What would she do with that revelation? Would she take advantage of that fact and change her mind? Would she try to bind me to her or worse?
My fear must have showed on my features because the queen smiled at me reassuringly, "Don't worry, Sookie. I don't have a death wish: I'm not planning on meeting the true death by picking a fight with the Brigant line or any other Fae Clan."
Mr. C. took a seat at the table and opened his briefcase while he said, "And not only the Fae, my dear Sophie-Anne!" He gave me a wink and I relaxed again, taking them at their words. "So you knew him then? My grandfather?"
Sophie-Anne nodded, "I did. In fact he helped me start up SABB, my parent company for all the businesses I have."
My face brightened as I smiled, "He still had shares when he died, right?"
The queen looked at me quizzically, "How did you learn about that?"
Hadley glared at me but Sophie-Anne put a stop to it, "Oh hush Hadley, not everything is about you; It's time you heard the truth about your heritage." She looked at me with curiosity, "How did you find out Sookie?"
I glanced up at Eric and he nodded. Fintan had said I could trust Sophie-Anne in his letter as well, so I would. "After Gran died I found a box of things he left for me; some letters and this," I took the chain holding his ring out from under my dress, "were in it along with a stock certificate for SABB and a couple of other companies."
Mr. C. got up and came towards me. He surprised me when he knelt before me and nodded at the ring as he held out his hand, "May I?" I nodded and slipped the chain over my head, placing it in his upturned palm.
He examined it closely before handing it back as he looked me right in the eye and smiled, "I had no idea his ring was given to you. The last time I saw him, I assume it was the night before he passed into the Summerlands, it was still on his finger."
I nodded, "His letter said he left it for me. I guess he wrote it the night before he was killed because he said something about going into battle the next day and he didn't expect to survive it."
"He didn't. He was killed by an iron blade coated with lemon juice in what is now called 'The Hundred Years War' since that is how long it has been going on."
My eyes widened, "A hundred years?"
All three of them nodded but it was Mr. C. who answered, "Yes. Your great-grandfather, Niall, is the ruling Prince of Faerie and his brother, Rogan, wants that title because he and his followers want the portals between Faerie and earth closed."
"What? Why?" For some strange reason that knowledge made me really angry. Cookie wasn't too happy to hear that the war was still going on either, 'I would have thought that the war would have been over by now', and she sighed discontentedly.
I frowned at what Cookie had said. How had she known there was a war?
"The Fae are a long lived people but they are slowly being poisoned by the toxins in our environment. These toxins have caused a drop in their birth rate and an increase in infant mortality since infants don't have the immunity yet to withstand even minute amounts of iron," Mr. C. explained to me.
My eyes widened at his story, "That's horrible! Is there anything I can do?"
Mr. C. smiled at me while the vampires in the room just shook their heads at me, "No dear girl, there isn't but your Fae heritage is why Fintan asked me to give you a referral to a Supernatural Doctor so you can be tested for any of their weaknesses.
"You will also need her if you are ever injured or become pregnant."
I just laughed and shook my head, "I don't plan on ever having children, thank you though."
Mr. C. looked at me sadly, "The telepathy? You didn't enjoy it," He asked as he got up and went back to his seat.
I shook my head emphatically, "It made my life a living hell! I didn't know anybody else like me; I didn't even really know about Supernaturals until vampires outed themselves. All I knew was that I was different.
"I didn't have anybody to teach me to control it or shut it off. I had no protection against it so I heard every little thing going through everybody's mind every minute of the day.
"My childhood was as far from normal as it's possible to get. Honestly, it's a miracle that I remained sane."
Mr. C.'s shoulders slumped a little as he sat back down and he looked a little upset by my words but really, what could I have done differently? It's not like I had anyone to teach me or like I could give it back. My telepathy was a part of me, it was one part of my whole whether I liked it or not.
Right then, at that moment, I was liking it a whole lot since it seemed like I would finally be able to do some good with my telepathy other than keep ahead of who wanted a refill or who didn't want ketchup with their fries.
I got up and went over to Mr. C. and placed my hand on his, "It's okay Mr. C. … I'm guessing you had someone to help you with your telepathy when you were growing up."
He looked at me, a little surprised by my words, "It's more like demons are born with the knowledge of how to control their telepathy. I thought that knowledge would pass down as well, along with your genetic Fae knowledge, but I was wrong."
"Genetic knowledge? What's that?" I asked. Something was niggling the back of my brain but I couldn't quite grasp it again: I sighed in frustration.
"Genetic knowledge is the knowledge you're born with; like autonomic reflexes. You know how to breathe even though you were never taught and demons know how to control their telepathy without anyone teaching them how to.
"All species: Fairies, humans, Weres, even vampires have this type of knowledge, it all depends on the species and what their capabilities are." My eyes went wide at his explanation. Is that what was happening with me? I was trying to access my genetic knowledge but that divide or separation was stopping me from getting to it?
'Yes Sookie, that is what's happening. Everything will be straightened out soon enough though, just be patient.' Cookie cackled at the thought of me being patient.
I huffed, 'I can be patient,' I said as I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest.
'Uh huh, sure you can be, and I can have a body of my own and ravage our Viking!'
I was brought out of my internal dialogue when Mr. C. spoke again, "I am sorry for causing you so much trouble Sookie, if I had been able to foresee such a thing I would have never done as Fintan asked me to."
I shook my head even before he finished his sentence, "There's nothing to be sorry for. It's water under the bridge. Besides, we're here for reasons other than getting to know my sponsor."
He brightened up at my words, not that he could ever possibly look down and out for long.
Some hours later we were finished with our business with the queen. All the contracts - for her and other Supernaturals - were drawn out and agreed upon. My contract with Eric and his new business idea were officially under way as well.
After that I finally had the time to think and formulate the most important and personal questions I had for Mr. C. but unfortunately it was getting too close to daybreak.
I turned to him and said, "Could you spare some time for me tomorrow, please? I really need to talk to you about some things."
"Of course my dear. How about we meet in the late afternoon? That will give us a few hours for your questions and Fintan's will before the vampires rise since I have some other business to discuss with them as well."
I agreed and we set a time and place for our meeting.
The doors had barely shut behind him when they were suddenly thrown open again and a youngish looking vampire with dark hair strode into the room looking and acting like he owned the place.
I felt his confidence and power radiating from him as he stopped just inside the door. Both the queen and Eric seemed surprised at his entrance before they stood up only to kneel before him, surprising me to no end.
"Master," they said in unison.