Spellbound
Chapter 73
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope that this is a good enough Christmas gift. It's all that I could afford. ;o)
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. This chapter is kind of light towards the end. We get to see Eric and Sookie in a quiet moment; just being together. You get to see them as an everyday couple for a fleeting moment. I hope that you all enjoy it.
The most of our beloved characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea belongs to me.
And again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I hope that it's better than you expected it to be.
"I'm counting on you," Eric said.
"As you should. We'll find them," Heidi assured Eric. Confidence filled her voice. "Helena and Aggie are the best trackers in the world. I will attest to that. They are my children and I never accept anything but the best from them and from myself. Never fear, my friend. We will find who's done this and you will get your vengeance. And it will be swift."
Eric thought of the AP's prediction.
"I trust you," Eric told her. "And I know that the job will be done. You will let me know as soon as you find something ... no matter how small it is." And that wasn't a question.
"You have our word," Heidi said.
Eric looked at the clock on the wall. "Since it is close to dawn, you and your children will stay in one of the guest houses out back. Take the one closest to the pool, my friend. It is by far the best one. You all deserve it. Go now and rest well. You have a busy night ahead of you."
She gave him a nod before she and her children left the room.
"Bring her in," Eric told Thalia.
Doing as her master ordered, Thalia went to the doorway and called the in the next visitor. Seconds later, the vampire guards escorted Sophie Ann into her master's office. Sophie Ann entered with her head held high and a frown on her face. She was as defiant as she's ever been. "I can't believe you left me sitting out there like that; guards standing over top of me, eyeballing me. They were treating me as if I'm a criminal, Eric. I'm not some peon. You should've seen me before you saw those other vampires. I have a position in our world and you make me wait?"
Eric found her anger to be quite amusing. Hell, he must admit it … it tickled him. She needed their help but she has taken it upon herself to come into their home and try to tell him what to do. Until tonight, Eric never realized how young she really is. He looked at her in amazement.
"Eric?" she said. "Have you not heard a word that I've said? I am a member of the council and you made me wait. There is no excuse for that type of insubordination. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Instead of replying to her, he ignored her. "Thalia, it's getting quite late," Eric said as he glanced at the clock once again. "Put our guest in the silver room … the room with the silver knobs and doors. The room that has no windows. Put guards outside of her guest quarters. When she rises, you will keep watch over her and if she gets out of line, do with her as you wish."
A slow and scary smile crept on Thalia's face as she looked at the younger vampire. "Thank you, master."
Sophie Ann didn't like the sound of that or the look on Thalia's normally emotionless face. For the first time since being in Eric's office, she has realized what her true position is. She doesn't have one. She's nothing more than a fill-in. "The silver room?" she asked. "With real silver? Pure silver?" She shook her head no. "I can't stay in a room like that. I won't be able to come and go as I please."
Looking at Sophie Ann, Eric said, "That's the idea. You will stay there until Sookie and I decide to meet with you ... question you about your true reasons for being here. It'll only be for a day or two. Until then, you'll be safe and have all of the amenities of home. Your meals will be brought to you. You will be entertained by the TV and stereo system in the room. There are even different genres of movies at your very disposal. I hope that the room meets to your expectations." Eric didn't bother to hide the enjoyment in his voice or on his face.
Sophie Ann's mouth fell open from surprise. "You're joking, right? You can't be serious. You can't do this to me."
Nodding, Eric said, "Oh, I am quite serious."
Her green eyes were wide with fear and concern. "I'm not going to betray you or your precious faery, Eric. I need your help. I need for you to keep me safe. They are going to kill me. I have nowhere else to go. How is keeping me locked away going to keep me safe? No one will know where I am." she said. After a brief moment, she realized what she'd said and what Eric is doing. It's was too late to take her ignorant and unappreciative words back. She had no choice but to stay humble.
Eric only stared at her. Godric and Shiloh were right. Sophie Ann is an idiot. "Keeping you locked away and away from your enemies will keep you safe. You will be on my compound and surrounded by the most powerful and loyal vampires around. So, we are protecting you. Be grateful and say thank you," Eric ordered her as his fangs slid into place.
She quickly changed her tune was singing a different song when Thalia eased in behind her. "Thank you and I am grateful. Forgive my rudeness, Eric."
Grabbing Sophie Ann's arm, Thalia said, "She will remain there until you and the mistress are ready for her. Never fear, master," she said with an evil smile on her face. "I will not let her out of my sights. You and the mistress can and will rest easy."
That's why Eric keeps Thalia close to the house. She has requested to stay on the compound until the being that tried to kill Sookie has been caught and without a second thought, Eric granted her wish. He has even offered her higher positions in the vampire community at the council's behest but she has always turned them down. She's rather stay out of the limelight. She'd rather remain unseen. She is the most vicious of their kind. She will kill but not without provocation. She's methodical in her planning and killing. That's why Eric would have no other vampire guarding Sophie Ann. Thalia will more than keep her in line.
Sophie Ann's eyes showed that she was going to concede with her superior's request. "Goodnight, Eric."
"Sophie Ann," Eric said.
With a firm grip on the twenty times younger vampiress' arm, Thalia blurred them from the room. Before Eric could follow suit and spend the remainder of his night with his wife, his cell phone began to ring.
When he looked at the caller ID, he was more than surprised at who was calling him but being Eric Northman he could never let them know that they've caught him off guard. "Northman, here," he said in his coolest and most sincere voice.
"Beck," Alcee mimicked. "This is a business call."
He laughed. "I figured as much considering we're not friends and I haven't invited you over for dinner. To what do I owe this displeasure, Detective Beck?"
Alcee rolled his eyes. "Have you and your lovely wife found anything out? We're at a standstill here. We've kind of been hoping that you two were able to find something out … anything. We need whatever you've got. The families are calling for information and we have nothing to offer them."
Eric smiled as his inner demon decided to make an appearance. "I know that has to leave an awful taste in your mouth, Detective Beck; to call me and beg for information. It has to make you sick to your very core to have to need me and my lovely wife." He knew that he shouldn't have goaded the detective but he was only poking fun. Who doesn't enjoy a good chuckle after a long, hard day?
"I'm not begging," Alcee proclaimed. "And I'm not in the mood for any of your shit either, Northman. Just give me what I want to know. Have you found anything or not?"
"You are not very friendly, are you?" Eric asked. Not giving Alcee a chance to reply, he continued speaking. "We haven't found anything just yet but we're on it. Sookie and I have decided to meet with a couple of the girls from the list of friends that Detective Bellefleur gave to us, tomorrow night."
Alcee noticed that he was purposely left out of that statement. He didn't care. He hated to have to call the vampire and ask for help but they needed it. He desperately needed it. The vampire and his wife are his last hope. "I hope that you find something."
Eric then leaned his backside against his desk. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not too long ago, Alcee hated him and wanted him and Sookie off of the case. He'd called Eric and every other vampire in existence a monster. And now he has called them and he's requesting their help and without provocation? This definitely didn't quite bode well with Eric. He didn't trust it; especially not Detective Beck's new found willingness to ask for their help.
"Why do you have this new attitude, Detective Beck? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your sudden cooperation but it is sudden. Why the change of heart?" Eric didn't try to hide his suspicions either.
"Your wife," Alcee said. "She has been gnawing at me since that meeting at the police station. I can't stop thinking of her. It's almost as if she's in my head."
Eric was soon standing. His fangs were drawn and his anger was more than evident. In order to keep his anger to himself, he closed down the bond. He didn't need to interrupt Sookie with his emotions. "What about my wife, Alcee?" he growled.
"She's extraordinary," Alcee said. "I don't know what she is and don't tell me that she's human. I do not believe that she's human for a second. It's those eyes. They get into your very soul and they see everything that someone is trying to hide. She's extraordinary, Northman."
"And she's mine," Eric snarled.
If he noticed Eric's anger, Alcee ignored it. "I don't know how she knows but she knows."
Eric slowly began to calm down. Once he'd let his anger go, he realized what Alcee was saying. He returned to his seat on the edge of his desk and reopened the bond. He couldn't wait to hear what Alcee had to say.
"No need to be quiet now," Alcee said. "Go ahead and say that you knew that I was hiding something. Tell me that she already knew what I was hiding. Go ahead. I can handle it."
Eric knew what Alcee was talking about. He was just waiting for him to say it.
Alcee grunted loudly into the phone. "My secret," he finally said. "She knew that I was hiding something. One of the missing girls is a student of my brother's. He'd been sleeping with her. The night that she went missing, she'd just left his house. I've kept that bit of information to myself because he's my brother. No one knows that but me, you and your wife."
"I see," Eric said. "Which of the girls was your brother's lover?"
"Elizabeth," Alcee answered. "They'd been seeing each other for awhile; about six months. Since he's a professor there, he's not allowed to fraternize with the students. It could cost him his job if anyone finds out and with her missing, it could possibly cost him his freedom, his life. I can't tell my colleagues because he would be seen as a suspect and I wouldn't be able to work the case. I have to clear my brother's name."
Eric's voice dripped ice as he began to speak. "Was your brother known to have been sleeping with Elizabeth … by her friends? Were they known to have been seen together? Is that why you didn't want us questioning the girls?"
Alcee remained quiet.
"You disappoint me, Detective Beck," Eric replied.
Alcee still said nothing.
"I understand your predicament but the way you've handled it, it is quite shameful. You have taken it upon yourself to blame an entire race in order to keep your brother safe. Now don't get me wrong, I can see why vampires have been named but you took it to an entirely new level. You've fed your theory to Carmichael and he's fallen for it. He never would've known that his daughter was fond of the fang if not for you. You questioned those girls and they told you about Amelia and her love for the vampire race. You put him on the trail of the vampire from that bit of information alone, didn't you, Detective? You've never had any proof that vampires are involved, have you?"
Alcee's shame almost oozed through the phone.
Eric continued on with his realizations. "Because of you, he took it to the media, to the people. You've persecuted an entire race to save your brother." Eric then shook my head. "You disappoint me to the fullest."
"Listen, vampire," Alcee began. "I don't give a fuck whether you're disappointed or not. Have you learned anything or not? I don't have time for your snide and useless comments."
"Welcome back, Beck," Eric said as the smile consumed his face. "I knew that the true Alcee wouldn't stay hidden for too long and as I've told you before; we haven't learned anything new but once we do, you'll be the first person that I call."
Alcee knew that was a lie as soon as it left Eric's mouth. "I don't believe that for one second. You tell that bullshit to someone that doesn't know any better. I think that you're going to give us bits and pieces and keep all of the juicy parts for yourself. You're a vampire. You're working to clear the name of vampire. I doubt that you'll tell us everything that you find out."
"The vampires that you've wrongly accused in order to save your brother," Eric said. "Are those the vampires that you're speaking of?"
"Fuck you," Alcee said.
Eric's eyes widened. "Why, I'm offended."
"Asshole," Alcee muttered.
Eric filled his office with laughter. Once his laughter had subsided, he said, "Your suspicions are unfounded. If I were human, I'd probably be insulted but because I'm not, I couldn't care less about what you think or how you feel."
"Welcome back, Mr. Northman," Alcee said.
"I never left," Eric said. "I've never hidden that I don't care for you or that I don't think very highly of you. Your deceitful ways have only solidified that I was right in the way I think of you."
"I have one request of you," Alcee said.
"And what might that be?" Eric asked.
"When you meet with the girls, I want to be there," Alcee demanded. "I think that a real cop needs to be there with you when you question them so that we'll know everything that's going on and by we, I mean the police. Do you have a problem with that?"
Eric shook his head no. "Not at all," he answered. "You amuse me, Alcee. If you want to be with me and my wife when the question the girls, you needed only to ask. We'll meet you at first dark at The Bistro. If you're late, you will be left behind. There's nothing that I hate more than tardiness and an untrustworthy detective."
"I'll be there," Alcee said.
"Detective Beck, you may not believe this but we have the same goal. We are on the same side. Sookie and I need to find those girls just as badly as you do. We understand the need for closure and truth. That is why we are on this case. We have no hidden agenda."
"Bullshit," Alcee said before slamming the phone down.
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When Eric went upstairs to go to bed, he found Sookie sitting up waiting on him. She was propped up on a stack of pillows and smiling at him. She then pulled the covers back and patted his side of the bed. "What happened? You closed the bond down so quickly. I almost went downstairs to check on you to see if you were still here." She cocked an eyebrow and said, "It's a good thing that you reopened it."
As he closed the door and once it secured them in, Eric walked over to the bed. "Alcee called to tell us his secret that he said you already knew about, you extraordinary woman. Those are his words," Eric added.
"Shut-up!" she exclaimed. "What did he say?"
"His brother was sleeping with one of the missing girls. She'd been at his house the night she'd gone missing. The one named Elizabeth," Eric said as he sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes and socks.
Leaning back onto her pillows, she looked at Eric's back and asked, "He volunteered this information … without any prodding?"
Dropping his shoes on the floor, Eric nodded and said, "Not an ounce. He all but admitted that he is the reason Carmichael believes that vampires are involved." As he pulled his shirt over his head, he added, "He also wants to be with us when we speak to the first girl tonight."
Sookie giggled. "What does he think is going to happen? He still won't know anymore than we allow him to know."
He threw his shirt onto the floor and stood up to undo the buckle of his belt and to remove his pants. He turned face her and answered her question. "I don't believe he realizes that, lover but we can placate him for an hour or so. Now if you have other plans, I'm more than willing to listen."
As he pulled his pants down, Sookie licked her lips. "I have no plans; none that include him." Coyly, she asked, "Did he mention anything about me? I mean, not anything dramatic ... you know. Anything?"
Eric turned to face her and stared at her. She began looking around the room as if she'd never been in there. "You little sneak," he said. "You were in his head. When did you do this?"
"Not for long though and since we met with them. I'd just send him flashes of my face, my eyes. I just needed to get to him. We needed the truth. We needed to know what he was hiding. It worked." She let her eyes travel over his muscular frame. "Come to bed," she said as she patted his side of the bed again.
Once he'd stepped out of his pants and his underwear, he crawled up to where Sookie was resting. He held open his arms and she instantly fell into them. She loved the feel of his arms as they wrapped around her, protecting her. She'd never felt safer in her life.
"Eric?" Sookie said as she settled into his arms with her head on his chest.
"Yes, Sookie."
"Do you think Fintan knows that we're pregnant?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly.
"Do you think he'll tell the council member if he finds out … you know; to plant seeds of doubt in their minds about my faithfulness and loyalty to you?" She traced her fingers over the muscles in his stomach.
"It's Fintan. Anything is possible."
"Yeah," she whispered as she yawned. "What happened with Sophie Ann?"
"She's under Thalia's rule," he confirmed. "She will stay there until it's time for us to question her. Thalia has complete control. We have nothing to fear, lover."
Sookie giggled. "I'm sure that she does. I can't wait to question her. I know that she's hiding something. We're definitely going to find out what it is."
Eric twirled a strand of his wife's hair around his finger. "We'll find out soon enough, lover. I'll tell you what surprised me tonight. Claudette. I'm surprised at Claudette's reaction to being demoted and surrounded by guards. She handled it rather well. I expected for her to throw one of her infamous temper tantrums. She has really matured in the last couple of months."
Sookie looked at Eric with a knowing smirk on her face. "Yeah, I wasn't too surprised since it's Quinn that's going to be guarding her."
Eric lifted his head a little and stared at the top of Sookie's head. "How did you know?"
"Seriously?" she asked. "Did you not notice how he was staring at her? He couldn't tear his eyes off of her while she was laughing and talking with Sal. He projected his thoughts all night long. Even you should've been able to hear them. He's in love with her and she's in love with him. And you didn't even have to break your promise to her. You were able to keep her secret."
He fell back onto his pillow as he laughed. "You delight me."
"I know," she said as she winked at him. "You know that Detective Beck's going to be mad tomorrow."
Tightening his grip on Sookie, Eric asked, "I know, lover."
"He's going to really be mad. He's not going to be able to go with me and Claudette when we question Maggie." She giggled. "He's going to be so pissed."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I wish that you didn't have to do this. I want to be with you. I hate that you have to do this alone."
"I know, my dearest love but his request has thrown a hitch in our original plans but don't worry, baby. We'll be fine."
He held her tighter as he placed his hand on her belly. "Come back to me."
"Nothing would keep me away from you," she said. She lifted her head from his chest and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you."
She snuggled closer into his body and yawned again. "The sun's coming."
"I wish that it wasn't."
"Me too," she whispered. "Goodnight, my dearest love."
"Goodnight, my lover."