Spellbound
Hi, everyone. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I'm not really good at graphic death scenes so I didn't really do anything too graphic with Freyda. I'd rather you use your imagination, if you don't mind. Anyway, the story idea belongs to me and but most of the characters belong to Charlaine Harris. A few belong to me but Selene belongs to one of the best writers alive.
Enjoy and don't hesitate to tell me what you think.
A couple of hours after Copley left her home, Sookie was finally able to lie down and get some rest. Her body was tired. Her mind was exhausted. She and Marco had spent the last hour trying to keep Amelia quiet and calm. Their efforts weren't working.
Though she'd confronted her father, Amelia was still fragile and sleep was not coming easy for her. She'd sleep only for a few minutes and then she'd be awake screaming. The shots that Dr. Ludwig had given to her must not have been strong enough because they'd wear off in no time. Sookie had tried giving some of her magic to Amelia in the hopes of calming her down but because of the baby, she couldn't give her but so much. She was completely drained after only twenty minutes. She had nothing left to give. Marco tried talking to her in soothing tones and rocking her in his arms. Amelia would grasp at him and beg him not to let them get her. The comfort and the soothing was not working. Though Sookie and Marco had tried, nothing that they'd done was working for Amelia. It had gotten so bad, that Marco had to call Octavia Fant to come to the compound.
When Octavia came into the house, she stood in the doorway and closed her eyes. She'd opened them and she knew exactly where to go. She went straight to the girl's room and placed her hand on Amelia's head. She leaned down and kissed the girl and whispered something in her ear. She looked at Sookie and said, "She's not alone. They're here with her. They're going to watch over her until this passes."
Sookie looked on in amazement. She hadn't told Octavia anything about Amelia or what she'd been through. When she looked at Marco, he shook his head no. He sent her the thought that he didn't say a word. He'd only told her that she was needed.
'I said nothing,' he thought at Sookie.
And she believed him. She had no cause not to. Octavia is an extremely powerful witch.
"Her mom is here with her," Octavia said. She patted Amelia on the shoulder and said, "I'll put her under for a couple of days. She needs the sleep. When she wakes up, she'll still remember what has happened to her but at least she'll have gotten some rest."
"Thank you, Ms. Fant," Sookie said. "Your help is much appreciated. We are in your debt."
Octavia waved Sookie off and said, "Nonsense. I'm more than happy to help. You and the Viking have sent more business my way than I thought possible."
Amelia is sleeping.
Octavia is now gone.
And it's been peaceful every since.
Sookie closed her eyes and sighed as she rubbed her hands over her ever growing baby belly. Her belly was no longer invisible. It was a lot bigger than it was when she and Eric had to report what they'd learned at the police station. If the members of the council could see her now, there would be no way that she could hide how pregnant she is. They wouldn't believe that Eric had gotten her pregnant and they would call an end to their marriage.
But she wasn't worried. Things were falling into place and they would have nothing to worry over. André will be dead and they will be in complete and total control of the council and their fate.
As she lay on her bed, Thalia knocked her bedroom door. "Mistress?" she said.
Sookie rolled her head towards the door and looked at Thalia. "Yes," she said. "You don't have to stand there. You may come in."
"No, thank you," she said. "I am fine right here. I am here to report that I have made sure that Mr. Carmichael is secured. He was no longer thinking of killing himself when I left him. I will be sure to make things right after he's served his purpose." She looked at Sookie's stomach and stared. She blinked several times before saying anything. "My goodness," she said as she looked at Sookie. "It is huge."
Sookie chuckled as she agreed. "Yes, it is. I'm getting bigger every day." As she rubbed her hand over belly, she jumped. "And he's getting more and more active. He's kicking me to death over her."
Thalia looked on in amazement.
Looking at the diminutive vampire, Sookie asked, "Would you like to feel it?"
Thalia quickly shook her head no. "I'm not good with children."
Sookie laughed. "I understand," she said. "Thank you for seeing to Mr. Carmichael. The rest of the night is yours."
Thalia bowed to Sookie and blurred away from the room without looking back.
Once she was alone again, Sookie hummed and ran her hands over her belly. She opened the bond and let the life force of her husband flow through her. She could feel his calm and his ease. She loved the feel of the peace that he was sending to her. She could only guess that things were going well with his meeting with Claudette. As her husband's calm filled her, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Freyda looked at the screen of her security system. She saw the vampires that were gathered outside of the front of her home. She knew that Eric was coming for her but she had no idea that he would bring the faery Claudette with him. She smiled as she watched them. They weren't alone. They were all standing in a circle watching her home … waiting to make her suffer … waiting to kill her.
She smiled as she watched them. She had to admit that she was more than shocked to see that Eric didn't come for her by himself. She figured that he would want to kill her; especially after what she'd done to Pam and after she'd tried to have his wife killed; which failed miserably. A thought then occurred to her that maybe he didn't know she'd tried to have the faery princess killed.
"The faery princess," Freyda whispered.
She looked at the monitor and eyed Eric as she armed her weapons system.
Mumbling, she said, "Maybe I still have an ace under my sleeve." Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "I may as well use it."
Freyda leaned back in her seat and propped her feet upon her desk as he pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed the number and waited. She continued to watch the screen as the stray vampires blurred around her home.
She knew that she had nowhere to go. Eric has always been a very formidable adversary. He always plans ahead. Her home was probably surrounded by vampires as soon as the sunset. They were probably scattered throughout the neighborhood. If she was going to be honest with herself, she'd failed herself. She should've known that Eric would take action as soon as he had the chance. She chastised herself as she realized that she never should've returned home last night.
"That was stupid," she said to herself. "I wasn't thinking."
If she thought that she could've escaped, she would've left long ago but in order to save herself, she had but one option and she was about to use it. She had to use it. It was her only option and she knew that if it didn't work, she would surely meet her end at the hands of her maker.
"Come on, Ace," she mumbled into the phone.
"Hello," Sookie said as she answered the phone by their bed.
She smiled as Ace answered the phone.
"Well, hello, Sookie," Freyda purred into the phone. "I've been just dying to meet you. I would've called your cell phone but alas, I didn't have your number. No matter how often I'd ask Eric to give it to me, he refused. I don't know what he thought was going to happen."
Sookie sat up in bed and asked, "Who is this?"
Freyda laughed. "I should be insulted but considering who your husband is, I'm not surprised that you don't know who I am. My name is Freyda. I'm his oldest child. It pains me to have never met my stepmother."
The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening.
"Are you there?" Freyda asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I hope that we don't have a bad connection."
"Unfortunately, we don't. I am here," Sookie said.
"Good," Freyda replied. "Instead of beating around the bush, I have a proposition for you; one that I'm pretty sure you will take to heart. I am in my home and I'm hiding out in my panic room for fear that they; your husband and the faery known as Claudette, are going to try and kill me. And I understand the reasons for their need to kill me but I don't feel like dying today. I'm not in the mood to die. I may feel this way but I know that they are not going to want to hear what I have to say. My pleas will fall upon deaf ears. And from the looks of it, they are going to kill me."
"As they should," Sookie said. "After all that you've done, your life should be forfeit. They should never have to come for you. You should be honorable and hand it over willingly. Only a coward runs and hides."
"Well," Freyda said as she cocked her head to the side. "I guess you could say that but I don't agree." Leaning forward and resting her arms on the desk as she stared intently at the surveillance screen, she said, "I want to see you and I want to see you now."
"No," Sookie said. "You will not …"
"Before you answer me, hear me out," she said as she interrupted Sookie. "Come to my home and see me and sit down and talk with me. If you don't, I will kill your husband and your faery kin. I know that you won't believe me but that's the last thing that I want to do."
Sookie couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "You can't kill Eric. He's older and stronger than you are. Claudette is a very strong and capable fighter. You are no match for either of them. You will die at their hands and since I know them, I know that they will kill you slowly and deliberately."
Freyda doubled over in laughter. As her laughter gradually died down, she said, "I've always believed that faeries are quite comical but you are the best of the best. Nothing of the sort is going to happen. They are never going to get the chance to come anywhere near me and you're going to help me. You, stepmother, are going to save my life. Isn't that just grand?"
This time Sookie doubled over in laughter. With her hand resting on her belly, she said, "Why would you think that I'd help you with anything? I don't like you. You tried to kill my cousin. You've beaten my husband's child almost to death and I don't like you. There is nothing that I would do for you. There is nothing that you can say in order to get me to help you."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Freyda said. "You will because you want your husband to live. You want your cousin to live. I say this because you have to understand why I do what I do. I have many enemies; hundreds, hell maybe even thousands of enemies and I do my best to keep myself protected. After saying that, my meaning is that my home is well armed. All kinds of weapons are at my disposal. If your husband and your faery fucking cousin come into my home, I will kill them as soon as they walk past the threshold of my home. They'll never know what's hit them."
Sookie was now sitting up in the bed; her legs were dangling over the side. "He is your maker."
"And I am his child," Freyda replied simply. "And what that boils down to is that I don't care. If he comes into my home to kill me with my enemy, he will die. I guarantee it." She sounded as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Now, you have a choice. I will let him and your cousin enter my home without incident if you are here when they arrive or I will kill them as soon as they walk through my fucking doors. The choice is yours."
"Where are you?" Sookie asked. She reached for her cell phone and grabbed it from the nightstand. She dialed Eric's number and it rang over and over again. It went straight to voicemail. She squeezed her eyes closed. He always turns off his phone when he's in a meeting.
"My address is not needed," Freyda said. "You're a faery. You can pop yourself over here."
"I've never met you," Sookie said. "I don't know where to go. I can't pop myself anywhere if I don't know where I'm going."
Freyda thought about it for a second and said, "Well, that does make sense. My address is 2512 Poverty Park. I live in the biggest house at the end of the cul de sac. Come to think of it, the size of the house doesn't matter. You're going to pop yourself inside of my house at the front door." As she looked at the screen, she said, "They are walking towards my home now. It looks as if Claudette is coming in first. Hmmm," she said.
She cocked her head to the side and said, "That does make sense. He can't come in without her. I have my home in the name of a human. Anyway, you have forty five seconds to get here. If you are any later, I will kill them. I will kill them both and bring what's left of them to you in a fucking garbage bag. Do you understand me?" Freyda twirled strands of red hair around her pretty little finger.
Sookie got down from the bed and slipped her feet into her bedroom slippers. "I have an issue as to where my power isn't as strong. It may take me a little longer to get there. I can't just …"
"Forty-five seconds," Freyda said. "The clock starts now." With that said, she ended the call.
She watched the clock on the screen as she watched Claudette and Eric walk to the front door of her home. She armed the system for the stakes. The sensors were aimed at their chests. She saw Claudette staring daggers at the door. Eric was standing behind her.
"Fifteen seconds, Sookie," she sung. She reached into her desk drawer and retrieved her sheath and dagger and placed it in her back pocket. She kissed it as she held it tightly in her hand.
She then blurred herself from the panic room and waited in front of the door. She looked at her watch and said, "Ten seconds, Sookie."
She went to the decorative table and picked up the little remote.
"Nine seconds, Sookie," she said as she hummed the ditty by John Cougar Mellancamp, Jack and Diane.
She peeked through the key hole and smiled as she looked at Eric and Claudette. The faery had just put her hand on the doorknob.
"Five seconds, Sookie."
Just as she was about to put her thumb over the little black button on the remote, Sookie popped at the front door. "I'm here," she said with wide eyes. She was panting as she stood before the vampiress.
Placing the remote back onto the table, Freyda smiled at Sookie and said, "So I see and I also see that you've brought company." She looked at Sookie's pregnant belly and asked, "Does my master know that you have a bun in the oven? You know that he won't like that. He's the jealous type. From what I hear, he doesn't like to share and I'm almost positive that he would never share you."
"It's his," Sookie said in a soft voice.
Freyda laughed heartily. "Oh, I'll bet it is."
Just as Freyda heard Claudette and Eric turn the doorknob, she pulled Sookie into her arms and stood there and waited. She kissed and nuzzled Sookie's neck as she said, "You smell absolutely divine. What's that perfume you're wearing?"
"You will not get away with this," Sookie warned her.
"We'll see," she whispered in Sookie's ear.
The front door of the house flew open and there stood Eric and Claudette. Their weapons were aimed and ready to maim the rogue and disloyal vampiress … that is, until they saw that she was holding Sookie in her arms.
"Come in," Freyda said with a smile. "If I'd known that you were coming, I would've tidied up the place. I know that you've both shown up unannounced but would either of you like something to drink?"
"My lover," Eric whispered.
Sookie looked sadly at him and smiled. "I'm fine," she said.
Eric didn't believe her. He could see that she was drained. She didn't have the same glow as she usually has. Her light wasn't as bright as it usually is. He could tell that she's used more of her power than she should have. He could see that even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to escape.
Eric's fangs dropped into place. "As your maker, I command you to release her."
Freyda began to laugh. "Do you not know me, Eric? Have I ever listened to anything that you have to say? You know that spiel doesn't work on me." Looking at Sookie, she said, "I've never really listened to what Eric has to say. I guess that's why he's always so eager to punish me. And I have to admit," she said as she stared into his eyes. "I sometimes enjoy it."
When Eric made a move towards her, Freyda reached behind her and pulled the dagger from the sheath in her pocket. She aimed it at Sookie's belly. "Take one step towards me, either of you, and I will kill her and this baby." She tapped the dagger to Sookie's belly.
Claudette stared into Freyda's eyes and said, "I will kill you and I will kill you slowly."
Freyda laughed. "That's what she said," she said pointed the dagger at the side of Sookie's face. "She said that you and Eric both would want to kill me but you would want to kill me slowly. And deliberately," she added as she placed the dagger back to the side of Sookie's belly.
"She was right," Eric said.
Staring at Eric, Freyda said, "This didn't have to happen, Eric. None of this had to take place. You could've just left well enough alone. All that you had to do was stand by me as you've always done but no. You had to turn your back on me for this cunt." Her arm went around Sookie's neck.
"You are responsible for your actions," Eric warned her. "I am no longer covering for you."
Freyda shook her head no. "That's not how it's supposed to happen. You are to protect me just as you've always done. There's no going back. Everyone has always covered for me … even Sal." She began to laugh. "And he knew that I'd tried to have him killed because he wouldn't turn me and he still had you turn me into a vampire so that he could 'love' me forever. And you did it! I can't believe that you fucking did it after what I'd done. Both of you were fucking stupid if you want to know the truth."
A faraway look then overcame her. "I used to love Sal … long, long ago. I think that it was because he fascinated me. He showed me more than I could've ever imagined and I will forever be grateful for that." She brushed a strand of Sookie's hair from her lips. "At one time, I would've done anything for him but he wouldn't do one simple thing for me. He wouldn't turn me." She sighed as she shook her head. "I wanted that more than anything and he wouldn't do it. Want to know?" she asked Sookie.
"No," Sookie answered.
"I think that they like to watch the humans grow old," she said completely ignoring Sookie's answer. "I think that the humans are like a science project for us. It's fascinating to watch them as they change before our very eyes. It's fascinating to watch them hurry along with their lives in a rushed way." She nodded. "When you're human everything is rushed and hurried. Poor creatures," she whispered.
Eric took a step towards her but she pushed the knife closer to Sookie's belly. "Do you not believe that I will kill her? Make your move, Eric, and see what happens. She will die with me."
Eric didn't move. "Release her," he warned.
"You know what?" Freyda asked. "I could've killed her awhile ago. I was this close. I almost had her but the fucking hit man missed the target."
Claudette and Eric looked at each other.
"Yeah," Freyda said. "It was me. I want her dead. If not for her, you never would've turned your back on me but ya did and it pisses me off so badly. Why is it that I could never get you to love me as you've loved Pam or this bitch right here?" She tightened her arm around Sookie's neck. "What the fuck is so special about her?"
Sookie put her hands on Freyda's arms in order to lessen her grasp. When she was able to, she was panting even more. She looked at Eric and smiled faintly.
"She's not you," Eric replied as he watched her. He wanted to kill Freyda but he was afraid to move. She's always been quicker than any vampire that he's known. She took her lessons in combat like a fish to water. He knew that Freyda could kill Sookie and the baby and escape. He wouldn't have the will to track her. His very life was in Freyda's hands. And she knew it.
"You're nothing to me. Nothing," he repeated.
The hurt was more than evident on Freyda's face. "You love anyone that's not me … Selene and Thalia. Does the little woman here know that you used to fuck Selene back in the day? Huh? Does she know?" She placed her lips in Sookie's hair and said, "They never told anyone. They like to say that they were nothing more than master and underling. It's nothing more than a lie. Just a few years after she came to be with us, he was fucking her and on a nightly basis too. Every chance that he got he was fucking her." She then began making the grunting and movements of sex as she told Sookie about Eric and Selene.
Sookie looked at Eric but said nothing. She knew that there was something to the way that Selene was watching her and Eric on the night of their first meeting but it doesn't matter. It's in the past and that's where it will stay.
"Sookie?" Freyda said.
"What?" she whispered.
"Have you ever wondered if he's still fucking her?" Freyda asked. "He's always kept her close. She was extremely close to him while you two were just in the courting stages. Do you ever wonder if he was fucking her while he was getting to know you?"
Eric stared at Sookie and said, "I've never cheated on you … ever."
"I know," Sookie said.
Laughing, Freyda said, "Believe that if you want to but who cares, right? As long as he wasn't fucking me, it's okay." Her laughing stopped instantly. Staring at Eric, she said, "The first time that I met you, I wanted you but you wouldn't give me a second look because of Sal. Fucking Sal," she said as she shook her head. "One night I watched you as fucked Selene and I was so jealous of her. The ecstasy that was on her face was mind blowing. I wanted to kill her because she had you. What was wrong with me, Eric?" she asked sadly. "Why couldn't you love me?"
With hate and anger in his voice, Eric said, "Because I hate you. I have wished for every single night of your existence that I had let you die. I wish that you were buried six feet under and were nothing more than worm food. I can't love you because you breed nothing but hate. You are nothing to me."
"Fuck you!" she yelled as bloody tears screamed down her pale face. "Fuck you!"
A pain suddenly filled Sookie's body. She looked fearfully at Eric as she placed her hand to her stomach. Panic soon filled the bond. She squeezed her eyes closed as she leaned into Freyda's body. She grunted as she whimpered. "Eric," she said.
When Eric moved towards her, Freyda pricked Sookie's stomach with the tip of the knife. "I will cram this inside of her and kill them both," she hissed.
He stopped moving instantly. Dribbles of blood began to appear in the fabric of Sookie's pink nightgown. Sookie looked at clock on the wall above the front door. She then looked at Eric and Claudette and nodded.
Claudette began walking in the direction of Freyda. "I feel nothing for you. I love my cousin and I want what is best for her but I'm here for my revenge. I'm not here to save her life. She's wasn't a part of my plan and sometimes there have to be casualties and unfortunately, she is one of those casualties."
Eric dropped fang on Claudette. "She's your princess," he growled at her.
She began to shake her head no. Claudette then said, "Not tonight. Tonight she is nothing more than a stranger. She's a stranger that's in the way of what's mine. I'm here for one thing and one thing only. I want my revenge and I promise you that you will not die quickly. You will suffer and you will pay for what you've done." She stopped in front of Freyda and said, "I'm here to make sure that you pay with your life."
Claudette looked at her cousin as if to apologize for what she'd just said.
Sookie more than understood the rules of the game.
Freyda stared at Claudette and said, "That's what your sister Claudia thought before we drained her." She closed her eyes for a brief second and said, "She tasted so sweet. Faeries always taste sweet when they're angry. She came to André's compound because she learned of the plot that Lucian and I had to kill you. She'd told André, Sophie Ann, Russell, and Bart but they did nothing to stop it … your beloved council members." She started to laugh. "They laughed at her. She said that she was the protector of you and her princess. But guess what? She needed someone to protect her." Freyda cackled as loudly as she could.
Claudette's sword was once again in her hand as tears streamed from her eyes. "I am going to kill you."
"Before you can raise it, I will …"
She was never able to finish her sentence because Sookie was no longer in Freyda's arms. Sal was standing behind Freyda and her arms pulled tightly around her back. Her shoulders popped neatly out of the sockets. Sookie was freed from the vampiress' grasps and was soon in her husband's arms. He pulled up her gown and saw that there was a fine prick in Sookie's side.
"I'm okay," she said. "It wasn't deep. It's only a scratch."
Eric rested his head against hers and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. I didn't know …"
"Shhh," she said as she cut him off. "I'm okay."
"You will suffer a long and painful death," Sal said to Freyda. "And I shall be there to join in. I figure that since you wanted me to die because I didn't turn you, I want the same fate for you."
Forcing Freyda's head back, exposing her lovely neck, Claudette said, "We have the perfect place to hide the body. No one will ever know where to find you. I have so many ideas and I can't wait to put them into play." She licked Freyda's neck. "I'm really going to enjoy this."
Freyda shivered at the feel of Claudette's tongue. She looked at the faery and said, "I can't wait."
Standing up and holding Sookie in his arms, Eric said, "I hope that you two have fun with her and if it's not too much to ask, save some for me. I want to have a go at it. I want to be able to show her the love that she so desperately wants me to show her. I would love nothing more than to watch her die."
Sookie's arms went around Eric's neck and she rested her head on his shoulder. She wanted to join in on their joy and happiness. She wanted to see Freyda suffer but it just wasn't meant to be. Looking up at her husband, she said, "I'm not feeling so good, Eric." She placed her hand on the side that Freyda pricked and held her hand there. "It … burns."
Seconds later, her head feel back and her eyes were closed.
Eric pulled up Sookie's gown and saw that the little prick had grown and it was turning gray. There were bluish gray veins spreading over her belly. "What did you do?" he asked as he held Sookie closer into his body.
Freyda glanced at Sookie over her shoulder and laughed. "Iron is hell on a faery," she said.
Claudette punched the vampiress several times before ripping her tongue from her mouth and the lips from her face. "Shut the fuck up," she ordered.
Sal looked at the former beauty and smiled. "I hope that you realize what you are to look forward to." He leaned down and licked the blood as it slid sluggishly across her cheek.
As Eric looked at Sookie, he noticed that her skin was turning a light gray. He bit into his wrist and held it to her mouth. Claudette stood with him as she held Sookie's mouth open and massaged her throat as he fed her.
"She needs the pure essence of absinthe," Claudette said. "The iron is in her blood. She needs it now and we have none here in this world." She looked knowingly at Eric.
He didn't want to have to call his sworn enemy but he had no choice. He wasn't going to lose his wife or his child. If he had to call Fintan then that is what he was going to have to do. "Call him," Eric ordered.
Claudette whipped her cell phone out of her pocket and made the call.
Eric made his way upstairs and placed Sookie in Freyda's bed. He lay down next to her and he held her in his arms. He watched her as the grayness slowly began to take over her skin. Her lips looked as if someone had smeared blackberries over them. Her breathing was shallow and body was growing hot to the touch.
He leaned in to kiss her and said, "Come on, Sookie. Don't give in. You're too strong to give in." He bit into his wrist once again and began to feed her. He massaged her throat just as Claudette had done only moments earlier.
"Step back, vampire," Fintan said as he popped into the room. "I'm here now."
Eric was not going to leave his wife's side. Instead he lay on the other side of her and held her as he watched Fintan.
Claudette soon popped into the room right after him. "It took you long enough to get here," she griped.
Just as Fintan was about to put the vial to Sookie's mouth, Eric stopped him. "You will taste it first. I'm not going to let you give her anything without you tasting it first."
Frowning at the vampire, Fintan said, "We don't have time for these games. She is dying and the baby will soon follow if you don't let me do this."
With her sword in her hand and aimed at Fintan's neck, Claudette said, "Taste it."
Fintan glanced at his granddaughter and did as she ordered him to. After tasting the liquid, he said, "I never thought that I'd see the day when my granddaughter would pull a weapon on me."
"Well, congratulations," she said. "You thought wrong."
Once they saw that there was nothing wrong with the liquid, Eric let him give Sookie the elixir. Fintan massaged her throat as he gave it to her. He even began to hum. Claudette closed her eyes as she listened to the familiar song. She began to hum along with him. "Grandmother used to love that song," she said.
"I miss her," he said as he massaged Sookie's throat.
"Her death is on your hands," Claudette said.
Fintan nodded. "So it is," he whispered. He then removed his fingers from Sookie's throat as he stood back and waited. He began to smile when her color began to return.
Eric pulled up Sookie's gown and looked at her wound. It was completely gone and her belly looked normal. He kissed it before pulling Sookie back to him. "My lover," he whispered as he kissed her face over and over again.
Fintan watched the vampire as he held onto his granddaughter. It never occurred to him in a million years that Eric actually loves her. "I guess Adele was right," he said to no one in particular. He then reached into his pocket and handed Claudette several vials of the elixir. "Just in case," he said as he looked at her.
She looked at him and nodded.
"If I'm no longer needed," he said. "I shall take my leave."
"Good-bye," Claudette said. She stared at her grandfather and she felt nothing. There was no forgiveness left inside of her. She had no more to give him. She'd already given him enough. Because of him, she'd lost her sister and her brother. She was done.
A sad look overcame him as he looked at Claudette. "It had to be," he said. "He was traitor to our name, to our family. He had to pay with his life, Cissy. You know our laws."
Stepping close to her grandfather, she said, "He was but a boy, Fintan. He was your grandson, my brother and you killed him for a treasonous act that he had no control over? He was spelled," she whimpered. "And you killed him."
"He put himself in that predicament," Fintan replied.
"Good-bye," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"I've always loved you," he said.
"It means nothing," she said.
Fintan looked down at the floor before turning back to the vampire. He watched Eric as he stroked Sookie's hair and kissed her forehead. He smiled at them as he faded from the room.
Wiping at her face, Claudette walked over to the bed as she leaned down to kiss Sookie. She looked at her cousin and nodded. She then gave her attention to Eric and said, "I will be with Sal and we will be playing with Freyda. Don't worry, my friend, we will save some for you."
"You are a friend," he said. As he brushed the hair from Sookie's face, he said, "Once it is safe to carry her home, we will leave. I will not return tonight." He leaned down and kissed her again. "I appreciate what you did by calling Fintan."
Claudette shrugged her shoulders. "I love her," she said. "I'll do anything to keep her alive; even call Fintan. And you don't have to wait to carry her home. She's fine. They're both fine. I can feel her essence growing." She patted Eric on the back and said, "Get on home. We've got it from here."
Eric gathered Sookie into his arms and blurred with her from the room.
Claudette popped herself from Freyda's home and to the abandoned warehouse that she owns. When she got there, Sal had Freyda hooked and ready. She could feel her power rise as she looked at the gift that awaited her.
"You look magnificent," she said to Freyda as she walked over to her. "I've never seen a more beautiful sight." She stood by Sal and placed her head on his shoulder. "You've done a wonderful job."
Sal looked at Claudette and smiled. "Thank you." He then looked at Freyda and said, "It was quite easy. She has not an ounce of fat on her body. It was easy to put the silver hooks into her muscles."
Freyda's body was sprawled out for the world to see.
"I love a good torture," Claudette moaned.
"As do I," Sal said.
She looked at Sal said, "I wish that you were my lover because a good torture always leads into fantastic sex." She looked at him and licked her lips. "But alas, I belong to another."
"As do I," Sal countered.
"It is tradition for a faery to kill her enemy in her natural skin," she said. "I would like to do that tonight if you don't mind."
Sal looked at Claudette and shook his head no. "I don't mind at all," he growled.
Seconds later, the faery was naked.
The vampire looked at the faery and dropped fang. "You look quite delicious," he said.
Smiling as she picked a knife up from the table, she said, "Wait until you see me covered in blood."
Sal couldn't wait. He picked up a knife and stood by Claudette. He looked at her and inhaled the sweet and intoxicating scent of aroused faery. "There's not a sweeter scent," he said.
She looked Sal up and down and said, "It's a shame that you can't enjoy what I have to offer." She licked her lips and shivered as she closed her eyes. Quinn would more than enjoy her tonight.
"It is," he repeated. Turning his attention to Freyda, he said, "Shall we?"
"Oh, yes," Claudette said. "Let's get started."
Freyda closed her eyes and waited for what was to come.