Spellbound

Chapter 75

Thank ya'll so much for reading and reviewing. The story idea belongs to me but these wonderful characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I hope that you all enjoy. I know that I'm being rushed by some readers and they're telling me that the story is ridiculously long but I'm trying to shorten it. Anyway, I hope that you guys stick with me during my long, drawn out story. Before long, the journey will be over.

Enjoy!

Sookie and Claudette popped themselves back to the Northman compound. The faeries walked into the kitchen in silence. Claudette sat down at the table while Sookie put a kettle of water on the stove. She grabbed two tea cups and saucers from the cabinet. She set the table for the little tea party for two; sugar, and absinthe. The tea of choice for this evening was going to be lavender. Lavender tea is perfect when one needs to relax. It wasn't their favorite but because of today, it was perfect. They needed to relax after all they've found out.

Sookie sat down with Claudette and stared at her; neither of them saying a word. All the while they were thinking and wondering the same things. Why didn't they piece it all together sooner? How could they not know what André was up to? How could they not know that Fintan has been coming to this realm? Does he know what's going on with their kinsmen? Does he know that they are dying at the hands of the vampires?

Sookie nodded her head yes. She believed that he has to know. He is the reason that Maggie has the wards on her home but why would he help a halfling? And why would he keep the death of their kinsmen to himself? Why not take it before the council and have Sookie return home and take her rightful place on the throne? Now that her grandmother is gone and with all that's happening in the earthly realm, he had every right to order her home. Why hasn't he?

The whistling of the tea kettle startled her out of her thoughts. Sookie walked over to the stove and retrieved the kettle. She went to the table and poured hot water in each tea cup as Claudette put the bags in them.

"I have éclairs," Sookie said as she put the kettle on the ceramic coaster that rested in the center of the table. "I also think there are crullers here as well. We have cinnamon, blueberry …"

Claudette shook her head no. "I'm not hungry."

Sookie sat down and sighed as she looked at her tea cup. "I forgot to get the cream out of the fridge. Do you want any?"

"What kind do you have?" Claudette asked.

Sookie went to the fridge and looked. She looked on the shelves and in the door. She even looked in the drawers but she found none. "None," she said as she stood upright. "We don't have any."

"Good," Claudette said. "I'll take that."

With that being sai, Sookie knew what she had to do. "Leave us," she ordered of the fae guards as she walked to the table. "All of you, leave us now."

The guards bowed to her and left without a word.

When she sat down, Sookie poured some absinthe in Claudette's cup. She put sugar in hers. She stirred as she talked. "Eric said that the last time he'd seen André, he didn't look as if he was suffering from silver poisoning. For quite some time, Eric and I have been wondering how André was poisoned." She placed her spoon on the edge of her saucer.

"A faery," Claudette whispered. "He must have tried to feed from a faery without his or her permission. They fought back. That's how he was poisoned. They bit him instead." Claudette nodded her head. "Good. He got what he deserved."

Sookie smiled. "That he did," she agreed. "But the others paid the price. Our blood is strong and most powerful. Remember, when we were children, Niall told us of the many wonders of our blood. It's more than obvious that André has heard of said wonders."

"He's been harvesting our kinsmen for their blood to counteract the effects of the silver poisoning," Claudette whispered. "But why kill them? Why hold them captive? They may not been full fae or halflings but they had fae blood all the same. It may have taken him longer to heal but at least he would've had the blood … willingly. He could've kept them as lovers. Why kill them?"Sadness and tears filled her as wonder took over her mind.

Sookie's shoulders drooped. "They didn't have enough fae blood or either they were sick. He couldn't let them go because he couldn't glamor what he'd done from their minds. He had no other choice. He had to do what was necessary," she said. "Amelia and Maggie are still alive because they were perfect for what he needs."

Claudette shrugged her shoulders as she pushed her tea cup away from her. "I still don't get it. He had Pixie. She should've been more than enough for what he needed. She was full fae. She would've been …"

"Too strong," Sookie concluded. "She's full fae. Her blood would've been too strong. He wouldn't have been able to hide that he's had full fae blood; not from us. Not from the other vampires. Amelia's and Maggie's won't be a strong. Just a hint of fae blood and he could get away with doing what he's doing."

Claudette began drumming her fingers on the table. "Yeah," she whispered. "Even with the other vampires, they wouldn't have noticed. It still doesn't explain what he's doing."

Soon, Sookie pushed her tea cup away from her and to the center of the table. "Okay, Amelia's alive; caged but alive. Maggie had practically made herself a prisoner in her home in order to keep herself being in the same predicament as Amelia. They still speak to each other telepathically as far as we know."

"I think that Amelia's still alive because she kept her telepathy a secret," Claudette said.

"Me too," Sookie said. "We need to figure out why he's keeping her a prisoner. We need to understand what his main goal is." Darkness soon filled her. Her heart fell as she placed her hand to her stomach. She squeezed her eyes closed as the only plausible reason washed through her.

Claudette didn't notice. She was too busy pondering the many questions that lay before them. Sadly, she didn't have a single answer. She'd been wondering that since they'd left Maggie's house. She couldn't figure out what made Maggie and Amelia so much more valuable than the other girls. She didn't understand what makes them so special. No matter how she wracked her brain, nothing came to mind.

If only …

"Claudette," Sookie whispered.

"Fuck me!" Claudette yelled as she jumped up from her seat.

Obviously, she didn't hear Sookie call her name. She didn't realize that Sookie had something to tell her.

"Fuck me!" she yelled again. She slapped the table a few times as she did a little dance and sang a little song. "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me," she sang. "I got it! I fucking got it!"

Sookie stared at her cousin. She didn't move. She didn't flinch. She didn't know whether to restrain her cousin or to let her bask in the joys of what she'd figured out. She didn't know for sure if her cousin had really figured anything out. Maybe she'd gone mad or maybe she'd poured too much absinthe in her cousin's tea. So she did nothing. She remained seated and waited for her cousin to rejoin her once again.

"I'm a fucking genius," Claudette said. She stood tall and nodded at Sookie as she made that surprising revelation known.

"Should I call Dr. Ludwig?" Sookie asked. She was trying to bring a little light to a soon to be very dark mood.

Claudette began moving her arms in the 'hurry up and get it already' motion. Needless to say, Sookie remained quiet.

Claudette dropped her arms to her side and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "As we already know, faery blood is too strong. It's traceable. The others girls may not have been fae enough … not enough faery blood but Maggie and Amelia are just right. Son of a bitch," she said.

"He took the less fae girls first. He experimented on them and found that they weren't good enough. He had to at least try on a four of them, right? How else would he know?" Claudette asked as she nodded her head.

"Yes," Sookie whispered.

"He needs their fae blood to heal," Claudette said. "He's healing himself with Amelia's blood. He can keep Amelia as his own personal blood fountain and Maggie could be the one. If he has two hybrids, can you imagine what he can do with their blood? The changes that he can make in the vampire world will be phenomenal. He'd be the most powerful vampire to have ever existed."

With her hands on her hips and nodding her head, Claudette said, "Fucking brilliant if you ask me. If I was one of those blood suckers, I'd do it too."

"Claudette," Sookie said.

"What?"

"My husband is a vampire."

"So?" she said. "I don't mean that all vamps are blood suckers. Well they all are but not in the way that I meant it. Eric's cool. He's not that kind of blood sucker."

"You don't understand," Sookie said.

"Eric won't get into any trouble. He's not the one that's trying to synthesize hybrid blood. We have to take this before the council. They need to know what André and Bill are doing. We have to stop them."

Sookie shook her head no. "We can't take this before the council members without any proof. We can't take them theories and possibilities. They'll send us back to fae for treason. A vampire led council is not going to take the word of two faeries that one of their own is killing us off."

"Eric can …," Claudette began.

"Eric can't," Sookie interrupted. "He loves me. If they find out that he had even an inkling of an idea of what is going on and didn't tell them, he'll die. They'll kill him for sure."

Little by little Claudette's face began to fall. "Wait!" she yelled. "We have Maggie. What about Maggie? We can take her and she will tell them what she's done. She will tell them what Bill has tried to do to her and what he has done to her family."

"No," Sookie said. "If we tell them that she's a telepathic, hybrid fae/human, how long do you think it'll take before they own her? The council is filled with vampire kings and queens. Do you know how valuable a telepath would be to one of them? Do you realize the power that they'd have? As far as Bill goes, we can take him down with the help of the council. She's only ever dealt with Bill. I could show them what she's shown me about Bill but we can't tell them about her. I can hide her face but still …"

"They'll want to know who she is," Claudette finished.

"Yes," Sookie said.

"They'll either glamor her or kill her." Claudette looked lost. "And since they can't glamor her, they'll kill her."

"Yes," Sookie said. "If we do this, they will kill Bill but that will only solve our problem for a little while. They'll think that Bill was the one killing the girls the entire time. That'll solve the problem of the missing girls but how long do you think it'll take them to figure out that they girls are part fae? Fintan's not going to stay hidden for long."

Sookie's demeanor suddenly changed. "As far as André goes, we say nothing. We have to kill him. Eric has to take that seat on the council in order to protect our child and our marriage. They won't believe me to have been faithful. They will believe that our child is full fae and they will dissolve our marriage. We have to take André down on our own."

Claudette flopped down in her chair. She finally understood what Sookie meant. The faery looked at Sookie and decided to speak the awful truth that's been hanging over their heads since their return from Maggie's. "We'll be sent back to Faery if they discover what André has done. Eric will never know his child. I'll lose Quinn and you'll lose Eric."

"I'm married to a vampire," Sookie repeated.

Claudette dropped her head. She looked defeated and lost. She gave her head a slight shake as she looked at her cousin. When they sat down at the table, Sookie had it all figured out. They can't go before the council. They can't show them what they've seen. If they do, it's over. Everything that they've done in the earthly realm would be no more.

"You're married to a vampire," she said.

Sookie reached across the table and placed her hand on Claudette's. "You're in love with Quinn. We can't tell anyone outside of our retinue what we've learned. Am I understood?"

Claudette nodded. Tears fell from her eyes. "How have you been able to do this? Stay so calm, so even? You could lose him. You'd never see him again. He'd never have the chance to see his child. Your soul is a part of him now. Your very essence is rolling through him as we speak. You both would suffer tremendous pain if you're separated. How do you do this?"

"Determination, faith in him and our love," Sookie answered. "We're worth fighting for and that's what we're going to do. All of us," she added as she squeezed Claudette's hand.

Claudette quickly swiped the tears from her eyes. "We will do this."on

The faeries held hands and nodded as they made their pact.

Just then, the backdoor to the breakfast room suddenly came open. "How in the hell am I supposed to keep you safe, Claudette, if you keep popping away from me?" He then looked at Sookie and said the same thing. "Do you know what Eric would do to me if something happens to you?" Before he could continue with his rant, he noticed the sadness on Claudette's face. "Claudette?"

Claudette turned to see his hulking frame standing in the doorway. "Hey," she said.

When he saw the tears streaming down her face, he hurried to where she was and kneeled before her. He stroked her cheek as he leaned in closer to her. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Lovingly, she placed her hand atop his and said, "You know how much I hate that … when you call me babe. Why do you insist on doing it?"

He ignored her question. "Tell me what's wrong."

Claudette stared into his eyes. She'd seen everything that she thought she'd never see again; love, trust, happiness, fulfillment, and adoration. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. She didn't … no. She couldn't bear to lose what she thought she'd never have again. She didn't want to wake up another morning alone … without him. She didn't want to eat another meal alone … without him. Because of him, she never wants to be alone again.

Claudette released Quinn from her grip and stared deeply into his eyes. "I cry because of you."

Quinn shook his head as a confused look appeared on his face. He then looked embarrassed. "I told you that it had been a long time since I'd been …" He looked at Sookie before he finished the sentence. "Sexually active," he whispered. "It happened only once. I told you that it was a fluke thing and that it would never happen again. And it hasn't," he said.

Sookie laughed; though she tried not to.

Claudette shook her head. She looked at Sookie and said, "Men."

"I know, right?" Sookie said as she stifled her laugh.

"I'm confused," Quinn said.

"I love you, you idiot."

Quinn put his hand over his mouth and smiled. He glanced at Sookie before returning his gaze to Claudette and asked, "Do you know how long I've waited for her to say that to me?"

Sookie said, "She's always moved at her own pace."Looking into Claudette's eyes, he said, "I see that." Gripping her hand, he said, "I love you. I've loved you since the first day we met. You have the most beautiful smile; more beautiful than any smile I've ever seen. And that ass ain't half bad either." He'd hoped she'd smile but she didn't.

Claudette looked at Sookie and said, "I'm not going back. I'm never going back."

Quinn stood tall. Anger filled his violet colored eyes. A frown covered his handsome face. "Going where?" he growled.

Claudette said nothing.

"Quinn, look at me," Sookie ordered. She wanted him to understand the gravity of their situation.

Quinn turned to face her.

"We've learned that André may be synthesizing fae/human blood for medical and personal reasons. He's possibly attacked one full fae and that's how he was poisoned with silver and he's killed one full fae. If the council learns of this, we faeries will be sent back to the realm. Never to return," she concluded. "That includes 'babe'."

Sookie walked in closely to his body and looked deep into his eyes. "Give me your word that you will not betray us because if you do, I will have no choice but to kill you for your betrayal. Am I clear?"

Claudette winced.

Quinn nodded.

"Am. I. Clear?" she asked again.

"Crystal," Quinn answered. The very thought of losing the love that he believed he would never find him, angered him. His body began to quiver.

Sookie placed her hand on his arm. "Remain calm," she ordered. "If you lose control, you will be the end of us. Keep your head and your mind clear. Your anger is useless."

Claudette tightened her grip on his hand. "Men," she said as she smiled up at him.

"This man loves you," he said. "I will die before I let anyone take you away from me."

"Stop that," Sookie said. "Don't talk as if your fates have already been decided. We can and we will win this if we work together and if we work smart. You can't let your emotions get the best of you. If you love her, you will do what is necessary."

"I will," Quinn promised.

Sookie then pointed to a chair and said, "Well, sit down and take everything that I have to say to you to heart."

Quinn sat in the chair next to Claudette's; still holding her hand, listening to everything that the faery princess had to say to him. As her lips moved, he listened. He heard every word, every breath. He watched her every movement. He never missed a beat.

"It will be dangerous and we can't guarantee that you'll survive but I promise that our efforts will not be in vain," Sookie concluded.

Quinn stared at her and replayed her words over again in his mind. He was given choices; two as a matter of fact. He could stay and fight or he could take Claudette and leave.

"Are you in or will you go?" Sookie asked him as simply as possible.

He knew what his only choice was. He'd lose Claudette if he'd even thought of running and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her. He had but one choice to make.

After leaning in to kiss Claudette, he said, "Tell me what you want me to do."