Spellbound
I apologize for posting the 3rd part of the too long chapter so late. I had some issues at work that needed to be handled. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Your support is much appreciated. I also wanted to say to the guest reviewer that Claudette is not dead. The reason she isn't dead is b/c Eric got to her just in time. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
The main characters belong to CH but the story and the new characters are mine.
"My goodness," Sookie was finally able to say. She swiped a few wayward tears from her eyes. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. A child of Eric's, that she knew absolutely nothing about, had tried to murder her most beloved cousin. He'd helped Freyda cover up what she'd done. What she didn't understand was that even though Eric helped his child, he'd also saved Claudette's life. He'd saved her from certain death. She couldn't be angry at him for that. What she didn't like is that he didn't tell her about his murderous and obviously dangerous child.
Sookie looked deeply into Eric's eyes as she stood up from his lap. She went through the kitchen doors and walked past the Bloody Goodness crew. She opened the backdoor and just as expected, the vampire guards were standing at their assigned posts as if they were statues; not breathing, not moving. Staring at nothing but seeing everything around them.
"Good evening, Indira and Jonathan. I hope that you both are doing well this evening," Sookie said.
Eric was soon standing behind her and his hands were placed affectionately on her shoulders. He expected her to shake his hands off of her but she didn't. She remained composed and at ease. He could only think that it was because they were in the presence of others and she wasn't going to show him any disrespect. She's always been wonderful that way. Even when he mistreated her, she was elegant and as gracious as always. She then did something that surprised him. She placed her hand atop his and settled into his body.
"Have both of you eaten?" Sookie always had bottled blood for the guards when they had to guard so close to the house. She gave them the Royal blood. She knew how much they liked it but it was only available to the vampires of the highest standing. She felt that because they put their lives at risk for them, they at least deserved a little something extra; especially something that she knew they'd enjoy.
"Yes, ma'am," they answered.
"Well, if you decide that you want some of the Royal Blood, please don't hesitate to let us know. You are more than welcome."
"Thank you, mistress."
Sookie smiled at them before she glanced over her shoulder and asked Eric if he'd already paid the Bloody Goodness staff. "We need to get them out of here." Beckoning for him to lean down, she whispered in his ear, "Are you going to glamor them before they leave? We're not sure of what they may have heard."
"Already done," he said. He pointed over his shoulder.
Sookie looked behind them and she saw that the staff was leaving the kitchen in a single file line; each one of them carrying a box. She and Eric stepped out of the way and as each person left the house, they thanked them for a pleasant and delicious dinner.
"I will be sure to call your manager to let her know that the meal was outstanding and that the service was above reproach," Eric said. He had even given each of them a very nice tip.
Robbie the waiter was the last one to leave. He stopped in front of them and said, "It was a pleasure to have been able to serve you and your wife. Kizzie has also put two extra tulip salads in the refrigerator and a bottle of fresh glacial dressing. She also left some fae honey and milk for you, madam. It was also suggested that we leave you some of the other dishes that we had available. They have been sealed especially for you to allow for freshness. Thank you for allowing us to serve you and your wife."
"Good evening," Sookie and Eric said as they watched them leave. When Indira and Jonathan followed the Bloody Goodness crew to the company van, two more vampires took their places at the door. Once again, Sookie offered the vampires some Royal Blood but they too declined. Together, Sookie and Eric bid them good evening as they closed the door.
When they turned to face each other, Eric looked down at her and he was all business. She could see it. She could feel it. It's the way that it's supposed to be. He didn't want Freyda to be forgiven and he didn't want her to get any special treatment. Sookie began to think that from the way he was acting, he didn't want any special treatment either.
"We can finish this conversation in my office," Eric offered. "Or your office would be fine. Whichever one is more suitable."
"Since it is your child that has broken the laws of our world, then my office seems to be the most suitable place. No offense but I want to be comfortable while you're telling me what happened. Your office is quite off putting. Follow me," she said. Her back was tall and her voice was as firm and as stoic as Eric's. Then she did something that he didn't expect. She took his hand into hers as they walked down the hallway and into her office together.
Sookie's office was vastly different from Eric's. Where his office is all leather and jewel tones, hers is cotton and French country. His office screams business and only business. Her office gives the illusion of comfort and ease. Her office was another thing that Eric's wasn't. It was misleading. She wanted them to feel comfortable; especially when it was something that she wanted or something that was needed. Once she had the supe or person at ease, she pounced and they never knew what hit them.
She released his hand as she closed the double doors to her office. When they were safely in her office, she asked Eric to look at her. When he did, she said, "Before we get started, I have something to say to you"
He stood tall and was ready to accept the tongue thrashing that was about to get from his beloved wife.
"You helped Claudette kill Lucian and the Weres that were helping him but you believe that you've let Freyda get away with plotting the assassination of a member of the royal family. I'm not jumping to conclusions and I will only show anger towards you if it is necessary. But I do feel that she should've been killed on the spot. You know the laws, Eric. No one is to get away with plotting our murders; not even family members. No Brigant and no Northman should ever fear for their lives. You are a member of the royal family. You and I have been entrusted with enforcing the laws of our world. Do you know what this could mean for you? If the council finds out, do you realize the punishments that could await you?"
That's what scared her the most; the idea of losing her husband. Sookie had to walk away from him because her emotions were beginning to get the best of her. She quickly turned away so that he couldn't worry in her eyes. She steered Eric towards the blue cotton easy chair that was placed strategically in front of her desk. After he was seated, she walked to her desk. Before sitting, she opened her desk drawer and removed a bun clip from it. Her formerly loose hair was now piled high on the top of her head. When that was done, she looked at Eric and her face was impassive. She smoothed down the back of her dress before sitting.
Eric was spellbound by her. In only a matter of minutes, she'd transformed herself from a beautiful seductress and into a straight laced, hardnosed figure of authority. She looked cruel and cold but she was feeling anything but. She was hurting and in pain. She was also afraid.
After a lengthy silence, she looked at Eric and whispered, "Once you are done, we will decide together what should be done next. You may proceed with what it is that you have to say."
Eric nodded as he began telling her what happened. "It took place while we were in Montana. You were with me. That was when we had the meeting with the Supernatural and the American government. We were trying to get the roaming laws changed for the Weres. Do you remember that?"
"Yes," she replied. "They wanted the right to continue using the national parks as their roaming grounds. They'd been using them for years; long before they made their existence known. And then boom … all of sudden the human government wanted to close it off to them." Sookie huffed and said, "The nerve of them. We showed them."
Eric laughed at her response as he continued with his explanation. "After the meeting, you'd gone back to our room. You told me that you were tired. I could tell that something more was wrong with you but I was being an idiot and disregarded any feelings that you were feeling. Instead of checking on you myself, I sent Indira to guard the room to make sure that you would remain safe. At about that time, Clancy made a sudden appearance at the door while I was mingling with the royals. He told me that he needed to speak to me as soon as possible."
Sookie remembered the time that Eric was speaking of. That was when they'd first married. She wasn't sick. She wasn't tired. She'd been wondering why Eric had changed towards her. She'd believed that she'd carried herself as the ideal wife. It was their second summit together and he'd taken to ignoring her. That night after their meeting, she'd invited him to dinner but he said that he had something that he needed to do. She wondered if he remembered telling her that what he needed to do didn't involve a wife. It definitely didn't involve a fae wife. So instead of spending time in the room alone, she'd gone downstairs to get something to eat. No matter how many times she'd asked Indira why she was following her, she wouldn't answer. She'd thought of sending Indira away, but she decided not to. She wanted the company. She'd never known such loneliness.
"He'd overheard some Weres talking about killing a fae and not just any fae; a member of the royal family. I predictably assumed that it was you that he was speaking of. I instantly called Pam to my side and told her to get Alcide on the phone. When I told her that it was of the utmost importance, she knew what I needed. She asked him to come to Montana and to bring a few of his pack members; the best that he had. I needed them to guard you during the day. I told him to not breathe a word of this to anyone; especially not to you. Needless to say, I'd reacted too quickly and I didn't allow Clancy to finish what he had to say. When I'd gotten off of the phone, he told me that the fae that was in danger wasn't you. It was Claudette.
"I then called a contact in Butte and asked for the name of the local pack leader. He needed to know that there was a plot to kill a royal fae and it was being done by Weres that lived in his area and more likely than not, they were members of his pack."
Sookie consciously nodded. "Lucian was the pack leader in Butte. He had just taken over when he moved from Los Angeles. Not everyone knew that because the induction had yet to take place," Sookie said. "Claudette has businesses in Butte and she let him run a couple of them. She said that it would be best for him to handle a couple of her business since they would be spending most of their time there. With her being the head of fae security, it gave her more time to do what she had to do."
He began to nod his head. "We didn't know that until after Alcide returned my call. He'd found out that Lucian was a part of the assassination plot. I told him that I'd call him back in fifteen minutes. I immediately called Claudette but she didn't answer. That worried me. She has never been the type to ignore a phone call; even if it was from someone that she didn't care for. When I couldn't reach her, I tried calling Lucian but …" Eric shook his head.
Sookie looked down at her hands as Eric continued. Though she already knew the outcome, it was if it was brand new. She had to brace herself for what was next.
"I returned Alcide's call and asked if he'd heard anything else; if the plot had taken place, where it was to take place. He said that he wasn't sure but the one thing that he did know was that Claudette was in mortal danger. The plan had already been put into play. I know that I should've called an emergency council meeting but I couldn't risk it. It would have taken more time that we had available to us. The council members had already dispersed for the night and only the monarch remained at the gathering. We couldn't find Claudette or Lucian. I wasn't sure if she was still alive. Pam, Clancy, Alcide, and I had to make several calls before we knew where she was."
"Oh, goodness," she said.
"Alcide's guy, Charlie …"
"The shifter from Alabama?" she asked.
"Yeah," Eric said. "He was the fly on the wall. He knew where they were. Lucian had planned on killing her where he'd proposed to her. That meant that they were sixty miles out from where we were. There was no time for driving so with Pam on my back, we flew to where Claudette and Lucian were supposed to be. It was a close call, Sookie, but we made it. We found her."
Eric stood up from his chair and began pacing the floor. "When we found her, she was lying under a tree and on a white blanket. She was alone and barely hanging on. Her breathing was labored. Her skin was so hot to the touch that it was blistering. Her lips were white and she'd lost most of her glow." He stopped in front of Sookie's desk and said, "I was afraid that she was going to die and Sookie, I couldn't bear the thought of having to tell you that she was gone. That was the worst part for me; you losing her."
Sookie's eyes widened from surprise. It would have never occurred to her that it would have bothered him at all to tell her bad news with the way he'd been treating her.
Once again, Eric was pacing across the room. He soon stopped in front of the picture window and stared out into the night sky. The vision of Claudette's ravaged figure filled his mind. The thought of her dying and Sookie losing her was the true driving force behind most of what he'd done. Claudette was and will always be his friend but everything that he'd done for her was because of Sookie.
"When I lifted her in my arms, tears fell from the corners of her eyes. She couldn't speak. She groaned with each step that I'd taken. I knew that I couldn't fly her to a safe haven. The air would've made her pain worse. Pam gave her some blood so that trip wouldn't be so painful for her. When that was done, Pam called a cab to pick us up. We took her to Pam's house where she was fed and taken care of. She was going to have to stay there for a couple of days until she'd healed." Eric walked back to his chair and sat down. "While she slept, I left her with Pam. I went to find Lucian but he was nowhere to be found. So I took it upon myself to visit the Weres that were a part of the plot to kill her.
"I didn't let on that I knew that anything was amiss. I told them that I needed to know where Claudette was. I led them to believe that there was a family matter that needed to be handled. They said that last they'd heard, she was leaving town." Eric shook his head as he said, "They had the audacity to say that she was supposed to be visiting home for a few days and they didn't know when she'd returned. I then asked for Lucian. He was indisposed at that time because he was getting to know the new members of his pack. They couldn't disturb him but they'd let him know that I asked for him and his wife."
"They never told him and he never called you back."
"Precisely," he answered. "Well, they believed me to be gone when I'd actually hovered over their very heads. Miraculously, Lucian was no longer meeting with his new pack members. As soon as they believed me to be gone, he was standing side by side with his soon to be dead cronies. He was smiling when he told them that his beloved wife was dead. That statement brought a tremendous amount of joy to my heart because we had the upper hand. I'd heard their plot to kill the Lady of the House of Brigant. We could quickly and quietly get our revenge. No one would ever have to know what we'd done to them."
When Eric looked at Sookie, he had the coldest and deadliest look in his eyes. The rage that filled him filled her. Sookie closed her eyes and relished in it as Eric told the tale of Lucian and Claudette.
"I could have killed them all right then, Sookie, and no one would have been the wiser but I couldn't. It wasn't my kill. It wasn't my place to take vengeance when it duly belonged to Claudette. On the third night, after our final meeting with the human government, I returned to Pam's. I heard this dreadful wailing as it filled the air. When I landed, Pam was standing on the porch and she was heartbroken for the fae. She was the one that had to tell her what Lucian had done.
"I'd never seen Pam so sad. I'd assumed that it was because Claudette's lover had tried to kill her but it wasn't. It was because Claudette told her that the life within her was gone. Pam assumed that meant she was dying inside but it wasn't."
"She was pregnant," Sookie whimpered. "But that's not why she screamed."
A look of sadness appeared on Eric's face. He and Pam assumed that the screams were only for the baby but they were wrong. The screams for everything Claudette would no longer have. They were for the baby she'd lost. They were for the love that Lucian had killed within her. They were for the realization that her once beloved husband was going to die at the end of her sword.
"I can stop if you wish. We can pick this up later if you need time to grieve."
Sookie took a Kleenex from the box on her desk and dabbed at her eyes. The fae didn't have time for grieving. They thought of their loved one and the memories. That is what kept them going; the love and the memories. That was enough. Life goes on. "I'm fine. There is no need to stop."
Eric nodded and did as she requested. "That night after her screams had silenced, Pam gave Claudette a little more blood. She got a little more sleep. When she woke up, she wanted to go and hunt her prey. She was under the assumption that we would have to spend most of the night looking for them. I already knew where they were. They were standing under the tree that was supposed to be Claudette's final resting place."
"Are you serious?" Sookie asked. "He actually went back to where her ashes were supposed to be?"
"Yes," he answered. "When I told her where they were, she was ready to kill. She didn't want to let them get away. I tried talking her into waiting another night. I felt that she needed just a little more time to heal. She'd been through so much but she wouldn't hear of it. She said that she wanted their heads and she was going to have them. She said that they weren't going to be given the chance to live another night."
Sookie chuckled. "It surprises me that she waited for as long as she did. The Claudette that I know would have tried killing them regardless of her pain or you."
He agreed with her. "It was a battle to get her to stay put but we won out. I'm not surprised at how she behaved. Stubbornness must be hereditary in your family."
Sookie rolled her eyes at Eric but didn't argue with him. She wouldn't have won that argument. He was right. "Our stubbornness is not what's important. Do you realize what you've said?"
Eric look dumbfounded. He more than realized what he'd said to her. He was telling her what she needed to know. "I do."
"Obviously, you don't. What you're saying is that you waited for four nights before you killed Lucian and his thugs. You're telling me that you had more than enough time to contact the council and tell them what had happened." Her face was still and emotionless.
"Lover, it's not what you're thinking. I didn't know that Freyda was involved until after we'd killed Lucian."
"It has nothing to do with Freyda. My concerns are for the fact that you waited for four nights to kill him and his band of idiots. You had more than enough time to contact the council and let them know what was going on." She looked at him and cocked her head to the side. "If you'd known that she was involved before Claudette avenged the death of her unborn child and the attempt on her life, would you have still helped Freyda?"
"Not at all," he answered. There was no hesitation or pause. "Claudette needed me. She had a right to want vengeance. The council would have administered the punishment themselves. Since he'd made an attempt on her life, she had a right to fight back without repercussion or interference. Under different circumstances, I would have taken it to the council but I could not and I did not. What right would I have had to keep her from that? What rights did they have to take it from her?"
Warmth filled Sookie as she realized the loyalty in her husband's eyes. It was beautiful for her to see that he knows that his rightful place is with the royal fae family. It was even more beautiful to see the fury that lit up in his eyes as he began to talk about what he and Claudette had done.