Spellbound

I was gone a lot longer than I'd anticipated but I have returned; full stomach and all. I've made this chapter extra long to make up for lost time; at least some of it. I hope that y'all enjoy it and let me know what you think.

I'd also like to let one guest reader know that I am going to finish writing 'Killer'. I just want to finish up this story first. I have written a few chapters ahead and I'll keep that story updated regularly until it's done. Anyway, happy reading and keep on smiling.

As she looked up at Eric, Sookie said to Sal, "Make sure that my husband returns to me in the same condition that you received him in, okay?" She stepped into Eric's body and wrapped her arms around him and said, "Make sure that he comes back home to us. We need him."

Sal smiled at Sookie. "You need not worry, little one. I will do everything in my power to keep him safe."

Eric tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as he lovingly stared into her eyes. "Nothing is going to keep me away from you," he promised as he leaned down and kissed her. He opened the car door for her and made sure that she was tucked safely in before closing it. "Keep my wife safe, Quinn," he ordered as he looked at him. "I'd hate to kill you. I've become used to having you in my life." He then had a thoughtful look on his face as he shook his head. "Scratch that. I wouldn't hate to kill you but you'd still better keep her safe."

Quinn's bountiful laugh filled the night air. "She'll be well taken care of, old friend. You need not worry."

Eric knew that he could trust Quinn with his wife. He's never had a doubt in his mind. He then leaned down and kissed Sookie through the open window. "Be careful," he said when he'd reluctantly broken the kiss.

"I will be. If I'm sleeping when you get home, wake me. I want you to hold me."

"If it's not too late," Eric promised. "I love you."

"I love you too," she answered.

When Eric took a step away from the car, Claudette was standing at the passenger's side door of the car; her arms resting on the roof. "What? I don't get a kiss?" she asked. "If I were anyone else, I'd be extremely insulted. And here I believed us to be friends."

Sookie, Sal, and Quinn laughed.

Eric fanned off her comment with a simple wave of his hand. "Good-bye, Claudette."

She blew him a kiss as she and Quinn got into the car. Eric stood by and watched as they drove away; keeping his eyes on Sookie until he could no longer see her.

Placing his hand on Eric's shoulder, Sal said, "I've noticed that things are progressing a little quickly with our little fae. Her scent is getting stronger and stronger. The sounds of the two heartbeats are growing louder. It seems as if we are on a very limited time schedule."

When Eric turned to face him, Sal asked, "How much time do we have before the new one makes his appearance?"

Eric shook his head. "I have no idea. Sookie says that it's in the essence … whatever that means. I've asked her what that means but you know how the fae are. They are always speaking in riddles. One minute the essence means the combining of our hearts and souls. The next it means that it's all about the love." He then looked at Sal with a confused looked on his face and said, "The riddles."

Sal chuckled as he patted Eric on his back. "If it means that it depends on the love or the intertwining of souls, that new one will be here before you know it. So, with that being said, we need to get a move on. Our future awaits us."

Eric nodded and the two vampires took to the sky.

Eric smiled as he sailed through the night air. He has always enjoyed flying. He enjoyed the feel of the cool breeze on his skin. He enjoyed the peaceful sounds that come along with it. He hasn't always felt that way. He had to learn to enjoy it because he'd always believed that the night air would forever be his grave. He'd believed that the moon would always be his only source of light; that is until Sookie came into his life. She never ceases to amaze him.

Tonight, while they were in the car and she claimed him, he'd never been more in love with her. It was fucking wonderful. She is fucking amazing, glorious, and wonderful and every other word that puts her in the most magnificent of lights. She's his lover, his faery princess. She is the mother of his unborn child and she loves him. She loves everything about him. She loves his vampiric ways and his will to kill their enemies. When she makes love with him it's so sweet and gentle. When she fucks him, she makes him weak and strong all at the same time. And every time they make love or when they fuck, she claims him over and over again.

She rules him.

She owns him.

He belongs completely to her.

When he and Sal landed, Eric was smiling.

Sal was staring at the vampire that he loves so dearly and smiled with him "I see that your little faery has you looking quite happy this evening. I can only imagine what she's done to you." A small flicker of jealousy passed through the elder vampire's eyes.

"Very," Eric answered. He looked at Sal and nodded. "She's made me very happy."

"It pleases me to see you like this," Sal said. "I hate to do this to you but after what I'm about to show you, you're going to need it. Last night's little excursion was very educational."

Eric's happiness was pushed to the side as he and Sal walked into the Coffin. There was a vast difference in what was going on tonight than when he'd first entered the vampire bar. There was no feeding or fucking in the parking lot or the bar. There was only drinking and dancing going on. He even heard some friendly chatter wafting through the air. The vampires and the humans were behaving in a more civilized manner and it pleased him. That is until Sal walked him down the hall and into a small room; a very small room.

Once Sal closed the door behind them, he placed his hand on a shelf and pressed down. Instantly, the wall that housed shelf, slid slowly to the side.

Even without inhaling, Eric could smell it before he'd entered the room.

The stench of death was strong.

It was very strong.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Before they walked into the house, Sookie could feel that something had changed. The biggest change that she noticed was that the guards were gone. She closed her eyes and tried to hone in on their minds but nothing was there. She looked at Quinn and he glanced at her as if to ask if she was okay. She gave him a small smile before looking at Claudette. Needless to say, Claudette didn't seem to notice the changes in their surroundings. She was too excited about holding her new nephew.

Quinn stayed by the door with his back to the fae royals as soon as Sookie and Claudette entered the room. She may have given him a fake smile but Quinn knew that something was wrong as soon as Sookie looked at him.

When her most beloved sister and cousin entered her bedroom, Claudine looked up at them and smiled. Happy tears were streaming down her cheeks as she kissed and nuzzled her baby's cheek. "I'm a mom," she said through tears. "Can you believe it?" She looked at her son and said it again. "I'm a mom."

Colman smiled and said, "Me too."

Everyone in the room laughed but him.

"I don't mean that I'm a mom. I mean that I'm a parent." Colman then stood tall as he placed his hand on Claudine's shoulder. Sookie and Claudette walked to the new parents and hugged and kissed each of them as they congratulated them on their new baby. Claudette kneeled down at Claudine's side as she admired her nephew. Sookie returned to the door and stood at Quinn's side. No one but Quinn seemed to notice.

"Sookie," he whispered as he turned to face her.

She ignored him as she took his hand into hers and held onto it as tightly as she could.

He said nothing as he pulled her closer to him.

Again, no one noticed.

Claudine looked down at Claudette and asked, "Would you like to hold him?"

Claudette stood up quickly and began smoothing out her hair and running her hands over her clothes.

Colman laughed. "You look beautiful," he replied. "But even if you didn't, I don't think he'd even notice."

Claudette chuckled but Colman's joke did nothing to calm her nerves. She looked at her sister and asked, "Are you sure that you want me to hold him? The last baby that I held, I almost dropped her."

Claudine laughed. "You were very young then and Sookie doesn't even remember it, do you Sookie?"

Sookie took her hand from Quinn and placed it over her mouth as she laughed through tears and watched her cousins. "Idiots," she whispered. She then placed her hand to her chest when Claudine handed Claudette the baby. It was a beautiful sight.

Claudette rocked him back and forth in her arms as she hummed to him and professed her undying love for him. She walked around the room as every bit of love within poured into that beautiful baby boy. She kissed his little forehead over and over again. "I love you so much," she whispered.

Quinn was totally lost in the sight before him. He'd never seen Claudette look more beautiful. His heart melted as he watched her.

Quinn nudged Sookie with his elbow. "Isn't she beautiful?" he asked as he continued to watch her.

"She is," Sookie whispered. "She's going to need you."

He tore his eyes from Claudette and looked at Sookie. "What have you seen?" he whispered.

"In time," she answered. She turned away from him and focused on her cousins. "What's his name?"

"Braydon Niall Kennedy," Colman announced. "He's my son." He puffed out his chest and his smile widened. "This is my family," he said as he sat down on the bed with Claudine.

"And it's a beautiful family," Quinn stated.

"It is," Claudette said. She then sat on the bed with her sister and kissed her. "I'm so happy for you. He's so beautiful and perfect, Claudine. He's absolutely beautiful."

Sookie's heart filled with love as she watched Claudette. It was also filled with sorrow. She could see that her cousin was thinking of the unborn child that was taken from her. She was thinking of all of the things that she'd never gotten to do with him. Tears began to fall from Sookie's eyes.

Claudette looked at Sookie and gave her a weak smile. She was determined not let her tragedy mar this most beautiful moment. "This is going to be you pretty soon. I hope that you have a gorgeous baby girl and name her Claudette 2. That would be so sweet … a sentiment of your undying love and loyalty to me."

Sookie laughed and shook her head no. "That is never going to happen."

Claudette stuck her tongue out at Sookie. "Well, since you're going to be disloyal, how about we throw a baby shower for little Braydon next week?" she asked. "We will invite everyone that we know. Can you imagine the gifts that he's going to receive?"

Laughter filled the room.

"Speaking of gifts," Claudine began. "Would you like to hold him, Sookie? You are his princess and if anyone should be allowed to spoil him, I think that it should be you. I can only imagine the many, many, many gifts that you'll give to him."

Again, everyone in the room laughed; everyone but Sookie. She shook her head no. "I am sorry but I cannot hold him."

The laughter and the smiles stopped. Claudette, still holding her nephew, began walking over to where Sookie was standing. Sookie turned away. She tried to stay strong. She tried to stay in princess mode but she began to cry. Her vision had broken her heart.

After tonight, things weren't going to be the same.

They'd never be the same again.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The stench of death was strong. It was an odor that he'd never smelled before in his undead life. He'd smelled death many times before but never like this. This was sad death. This was painful death. This was the first time Eric was happy to not have Sookie standing by his side.

"The missing girls?" he asked Sal.

"Yes," Sal answered. "Last night while Chow and Clancy were doing inspections, they found this room. As you can already tell, they found more than this room. Come," he said. "Follow me."

Eric followed Sal down the cement stairs and through a long, dark, and narrow hallway. Dark carpeting stopped the echoing of their footsteps. The walls were cement and stained with years of build up. They walked a little further until they'd reached a wooden door. Sal reached forward and opened it.

When they entered the room, there were five metal chests lined up against the wall. They were at least 5 feet long and 3 feet wide. They looked as if they were thick and heavy. Durable. Capable of withstanding anything. They were labeled 1 through 5. Eric could only assume that the first four chests were the decaying bodies of the girls. The last ones had to have been the bodies of Tara and her brother.

Sal pointed at the chests and confirmed Eric's assumptions. "They've been in there for quite some time. From what I can tell, the girls were placed in the chests at least a month apart." Pointing at the fourth chest, he said, "She is the freshest. This one is Tara Thornton. The last chest holds the remains of her brother."

"They were the last ones to have gone missing," Eric mumbled. "Gervais told me that no one is looking for them. They are the last members of their family."

"So I've heard," Sal replied. "Minus Tara and her brother, each girl has a tell tale mark that the police had on file. I had Clancy go down to the police station and meet with one the officers in the evidence room." Sal grabbed a file from the table that he was standing next to and handed it to Eric. "Jewelry, tattoos, birthmarks; I've identified them to each of the missing girls."

Eric opened the file and looked at the pictures that the families had given to the police. He stared at the pictures of the tell tale marks. The butterfly necklace and an 'I love you, Mom' tattoo belonged to Cecile. Cecile's butterfly necklace had be a gift from her dad. His baby girl loved that necklace. That's what her dad called her … his baby girl. Connie had a pink ring that spelled out her name and a small heart shaped tattoo on the small of her back. It was for the grandmother that she loved so dearly. Elizabeth had a pair of custom made sneakers that were purple and green. There were little white rhinestones that spelled out her name at the tips of each shoe … Eliz on the left and Beth on the right. Her diamond earrings were a pair that she'd worn everyday. Her boyfriend gave them to her. Alcee's brother. There was no picture for Tara or her brother.

"We've found a patsy," Sal said. "Someone that will take the focus off of us." Turning to face Eric head on, he asked, "Do you remember the news coverage about the human male that was killing women that had any type of relationship with vampires? I believe his name was Rene Leneir."

Eric nodded. "Yes. The police had to let him go because of their search of his home was illegal. They screwed the pooch on that one. I recall Detective Beck mentioning his name during Sookie's and my visit to the police station. I didn't realize that he was still around."

Sal chuckled. "No one knew. He was lying low; staying in an unassuming house just outside of New Orleans and he's still up to his same old tricks. He's buried the bodies of two women in his backyard; a Dawn Green and Maudette Pickens. After killing them and then having sex with the corpses, he keeps them as trophies. He sits out in the backyard each night and talks to the dead girls. He tells them how he's saved them and given them a new start."

Eric looked at Sal with an expression of disgust on his face.

Sal patted Eric on the shoulder and said, "I know. Anyway, we've removed the jewelry, shoes, and certain articles of clothing from the girls and we're going to plant them in his home tonight after we bury the bodies. Amanda's watching him. She called me earlier and said that he has his eyes on a young girl for a week now. He's sitting outside of the girl's home as we speak. Clancy, Chow and I will be leaving in a few minutes to do what has to be done. I just wanted to let you know before we begin."

"You'll keep the girl safe," Eric said.

"We will," Sal said. "She is in no danger."

"Thank you," Eric said.

"It's not a problem," Sal answered."Once we're done and Rene heads home, Amanda's going to call the police and tell them that she saw a man digging holes in his backyard and he had a box. She's going to tell them that she's seen him do it before but it never clicked until she saw him doing it again tonight. She's going to tell them that he looks like the man that was killing the women a few months ago; the one that the cops had to let go. Luna and Clancy will also be making a call. They'll be posing as neighbors. There's an empty home on the street that's vacant because the family is on vacation."

Eric shook his head before speaking. "It astounds me how the police officers fucked this up; especially the talented and wonderful Detective Beck. My hat goes off to him."

Sal laughed. "That's the sad part. They've had many opportunities to capture him. Don't get me wrong. Rene was smart. He never left a print, hair, or a fiber. Not one piece of his DNA was ever found but he made mistakes. He left a print on one of the knives in the house of one of his victims. He used to frequent the bar that Dawn hung out and he'd been with her before killing her. They had him in their clutches. They were in too much of a hurry to close the case." He then sighed. "At least we're going to get him off of the streets."

"Good," Eric. "I appreciate your help in this; all of you."

Sal began talking but Eric didn't hear anything he'd said. He was staring at the chests that housed the dead bodies of the missing girls and sadness filled him. He couldn't help but think of their parents. They'd never see their daughters again. They'll never have them with them again. They'll forever wonder about the atrocities that their loved ones had to suffer through. They'll never see their daughters with families of their own. They'll never again hear the sounds of their daughters' voices again. They'll never see their innocent smiles as they appear sweetly on their faces. Birthdays will go uncelebrated. Holidays will be joyless for a time. No weddings. No grandchildren. And for the rest of their lives, they will be the parents of a dead child.

Anger filled Eric. "Tell me something that is going to solve our little problem," he said as he looked at his friend.

"We have one of the vampires that was part of the murders," Sal answered with a deadly smile. He then moved in close to Eric as he pointed at the chests. "He knows what happened to them. He knows a lot of things."

An evil grin appeared on Eric's face. Pretty soon, the families of the girls would have true justice. Those girls will have true justice. He and Sookie promised to find those girls. They'd hoped to have found them alive but it wasn't meant to be. He and Sookie promised the police officers that they'd help them and they've helped in more ways than they'd anticipated. So far, he and Sookie have kept their promises. He was going to give the parents another promise and that was a promise of vengeance and that was one that they were certainly going to fulfill.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After giving the baby back to Claudine, Claudette went to Sookie and placed her hands on Sookie's shoulders. She turned Sookie around to face her. She couldn't believe that her cousin didn't want to hold the baby. Before tonight, that was all they used to talk about and now that Braydon is here, Sookie has suddenly changed her mind? They are best friends. They would never do that to each other. This is not how this is supposed to be.

"Why?" Claudette asked. "What's wrong? Why don't you want to hold him? I don't understand this, Sookie."

Sookie stared Claudette in her eyes as she spoke. Sookie held her head high and her voice was as cold as ice as she spoke to her cousin. "I can't risk getting attached to the baby. It's Claudine and Colman's baby. The boy has no place in my life."

Claudette's hands dropped from Sookie's shoulders. She'd never known for her cousin to be so cold and harsh to her kin, her blood. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Pointing behind her, she said, "Sookie, it's Claudine. The boy, as you call him, is named Braydon. He is our family. They are our family. You have to give Braydon your blessings now that Grandmother is gone."

"He has my blessings. I bestow upon him the very best that our people have to offer but that's as far as it goes," she said. Just as before, she was calm and cold.

"But, Sookie," Claudette began.

"No," Sookie said. "I've said what I have to say and that's it. I'm done here. We must go. Are you coming with me?" She stared Claudette in her eyes as she waited for an answer.

Claudette looked over her shoulder at Claudine. She was about to ask her why she wasn't concerned with Sookie's declaration. She was going to ask her why she didn't seem bothered by the fact that Sookie wanted nothing to do with her son. She wanted to ask all of those things but she didn't. She was finally able to see what had broken Sookie's heart in Claudine's eyes."

"You're leaving," Claudette whispered. "You're leaving and you're never coming back."

Claudine dropped her head in shame as she spoke. "I'm sorry but we can't raise our son here. We want him to be at home with his people. Colman and I have talked about this and this is what we want. This is what we must do." She then took Colman's hand into hers.

"But Grandmother," Claudette began. "We made a promise to Grandmother. We can't go back. We are to never go back. We all promised. You promised."

Claudine's eyes begged for Claudette to understand why she was doing what she was doing. "I love Grandmother. I love her dearly but I can't do this. You have to understand. I want for my son to know where he comes from and I want for my son to see what his home is like. You won't have to worry for us. Fintan will not be a problem."

"How can you say that?" Claudette whispered angrily. "After what he did to …"

"I've relinquished all ties to the Brigant name," Claudine interrupted.

Claudette's hand went to her heart. "No," she moaned.

"I've relinquished all claims to the throne and to the House of Brigant. I no longer hold a position in the royal family. I am a Kennedy I want to go home," she begged Claudette. "Please, let us go home."

Quinn grabbed Claudette before she could fall to the ground. Sookie walked over the Claudine, Colman, and Braydon. She hugged Colman and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She leaned down and kissed Braydon on his forehead. She inhaled the sweet scent of the full baby fae for the first and last time. She then wrapped her arms around Claudine and hugged her as tightly as she could … for the last time.

"Thank you," Claudine said.

Sookie then stood tall and looked at the happy family. She wanted to force Claudine to stay but she would never do that. She loved her cousin too much to do that to her. She smiled lovingly at Claudine and gave her a small nod. She didn't stop the tears from falling and she let her heart break. "I love you," she said. "Go home, cousin, and live as you should. You have my blessing."

Wrapped in Quinn's arms, Claudette turned to look at her sister. She wasn't going to give Claudine her blessings. She didn't want her sister to leave. They are as close as any two sisters can be. They've never been without each other. They promised to always be together no matter what and now she was going to leave. She couldn't have that. "Please, don't leave me," she begged. "It's always been us. That's the way it's supposed to be. You're my last sister. I need you."

Claudine's tears flowed in a steady stream. "I love you, Claudette." Looking at Sookie, she said, "I love you both and I'll never leave you. I'll always be with you." And with that said, Claudine and her family were gone.

"No," Claudette screamed out.

Sookie rested her head on Claudette's shoulder and cried with her. Quinn enveloped both women in his arms and held them.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The vampire looked up at Eric and he knew that he didn't have too much longer to live. He should've done the same thing that Sophie Ann had done. He should've run when he had the chance. He should've ran to the Viking and asked for his help but he was too afraid. He was too stupid. He was a fucking coward. He dropped his head in defeat.

Eric towered over the tortured vampire with a pleased and triumphant look on his face. He had to admit that it made him proud that Clancy and Chow had used their imagination; silver IV, the removal of the eyelids and fangs, and embedding silver nails into the vampire's fingers. He would've done a better job and his imagination would have been a little more profound but they did a good job. He nodded his head in approval.

He kneeled down in front of the vampire and said, "Great job with the torture techniques."

Clancy and Chow looked at each other and grinned.

"Have you questioned him?" Eric asked Sal as he glanced at him over his shoulder.

Sal shook his head no. "I thought that should be left up to you. After all, this is why you were called here."

Eric placed his elbow on his leg as he looked up that the dying vampire and asked, "Where is Amelia Broadway?"

The vampire continued to keep his eyes on the floor; afraid to look his superior in his eyes. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since they moved her. If I knew where she was, I swear, I'd tell you." He finally looked up at Eric through hooded eyes hoping that the Viking would be able to see the truth.

And luckily, Eric did believe him. He could see that there was no lie left in the vampire's eyes. Eric could see that Mickey has more than accepted his fate. He could also see that Mickey was going to tell everything that he knows. "Was André involved with any of this?" Eric asked.

"Yes," Mickey moaned.

A sudden wave of anguish filled Eric to his very core. He stood quickly as he looked over his shoulder and at the door. It was Sookie. A pained look ran across his face. Her heart has been broken. He almost left Sal to finish the job but he didn't. He just stared at the door.

"Eric," Sal said. "Is everything okay? Is it the little one? Should I …?"

"No," he said as he shook his head. He knew that that she was safe and was in no physical pain. "No, we have to finish this." He turned back to Mickey and looked down at him. "Who knows what he's doing?"

"Those closest to him," Mickey answered.

"Names," Eric barked.

"Russell, Bartlett, and Salome; a few other vampires that have no real significance in our world," Mickey whispered. "And Sophie Ann." Mickey chuckled. "She tried to stop André but he wouldn't listen to her. She told him that he was going to ruin everything. She warned him but you know André. He knows everything." He then shook his head before looking up at the Viking. "She begged me to come with her. She told me that you would help us but I was afraid. He's going to kill her, you know? As soon as he finds her, he's going to kill her."

That's why she came to him. It had nothing to do with the seat on the council. She was in no danger as far as Godric, Shiloh, and Sandy was concerned. She was afraid of André. She knows too much.

Eric glanced at Sal over his shoulder. Sal nodded and said, "I'm on it." Seconds later, he was gone.

"At first it was only supposed to be so that he could use the blood of the fae to find a cure for his silver poisoning," Mickey admitted. "André didn't think that anyone would notice if a few halflings were missing. They weren't considered to be part of the supernatural world but when they took that full fae, I knew that it was over. Sophie Ann, she knew it too. She didn't know that they were going to kill the girls. She was the only to try and stop André but when he took Bridget, that's when Sophie Ann ran to you as soon as she was able to."

"Who took her?" Eric asked. "Who took Bridget?"

"Bill," Mickey answered. "He has always taken the girls. There's something about him. I don't know how he does it but he's good at procuring. And he's dangerous," he added. "He's dangerous." Then suddenly, out of the blue, Mickey began laughing.

Chow and Clancy frowned as they looked at Mickey.

Eric cocked his head to the side and looked at the vampire. "Why do you laugh?" he asked.

"Something just struck me funny," Mickey replied.

"And what's that?" Eric asked.

"A vampire tried to stop the killings of the halflings when the humans wouldn't lift a finger to help them. Not a single one of them tried to help those girls. They didn't know that the girls were halflings. They just knew that their blood was different but not a one of them offered to help them." He shook his head. "Humans never cease to amaze me. Money is all powerful."

Once again, Eric was stooped down in front of the soon to be dead vampire. "Which humans do you speak of … the government … the police … the Japanese inventors of Tru Blood? Which humans are speaking of?"

Mickey looked at Eric and smiled. "André had help from a very powerful and wealthy pillar of the community."

Eric stood up quickly and he knew instantly who Mickey was speaking of. "Copley Carmichael."

"The one and only," Mickey answered.