Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein are the sole property of Charlaine Harris and HBO.
Author's note: I know some of you are worried about Bill, but you'll have to hang in there a little while longer. He's not in this chapter.
Chapter 13
I awoke with a start and turned to look at the clock on the bedside table. It's only 2:15pm! I thought excitedly, and jumped out of bed. Eric wouldn't be awake for another three and a half hours, so I could finally go outside and enjoy the sun. I planned to be back in the hotel room for five-ish, so that I would have plenty of time to take a quick shower before Eric got out of bed. Eric won't be mad; he didn't say I couldn't leave the room alone. Besides, Felipe and Victor will still be asleep as well. I should really eat though, I'm starving. I walked over to the mini-bar and opened the fridge to find a beautiful basket filled with fresh fruit. I decided to have a light breakfast and put on a pot of coffee while I rummaged through my suitcases for a swimsuit and a pair of shorts. Deciding on a simple white bikini and a pair of cutoffs, I grabbed some thong sandals to match and sat down for breakfast.
It's kind of nice to have a moment's peace to think. These last few nights have been such a blur. I can't believe I flew here on Saturday night, and it's now only Monday afternoon. So many things have happened since then…I wonder what Bill meant by losing his hunger.
I suddenly felt a little guilty about the way things had played out last night. I had never seen Bill so low, so depressed. I also didn't take the time to explain to Eric what I had heard from De Castro's head. I had had a few drinks and I was exhausted, but Eric was only trying to form a plan. Too late to worry about that now I guess. I thought, and went to brush my teeth before heading to the pool. I was halfway out the door, when I decided I should leave Eric a note just in case I lost track of time or he woke up early.
Eric, I'm gone down to the pool. I should be back before you wake up. -Love, Sookie.
With that, I was ready to soak up the sun.
* * * * *
The Nighthouse and its amenities were just as beautiful during the day. While the interior of the hotel kept its evening feel and was just as dim as at night, of course, as soon as I stepped outside I knew I had been craving sunlight and fresh air. The enormous outdoor pool and famous hot-tub were to the back of the hotel, partially surrounded by the east and west wings. There was a large gap directly in between the two wings which opened up onto a section of perfect sandy beach and beautiful blue waters. The air smelled of flowers and saltwater and sun; it sounded of lapping waves and birds and tranquility. I was immediately swept up in a feeling of peace. Whatever happens, I thought, I have this moment. The only thing which struck me as odd, was that the entire outdoor area was virtually deserted save for a bored-looking young man waiting at the outdoor bar in the off chance a human wanted a drink. It's a vampire hotel, Sookie, everyone is still asleep. Even the humans keeping vamp hours are asleep. This place is probably packed at night.
Settling on a lounge chair near the pool, I pulled off my shorts and spread out a plush towel I had picked up from a huge wicker basket nearby. I signaled for the bartender to come over, it's not like he's doing anything else, I thought. He approached me almost eagerly.
"Good afternoon, Miss" the young, tan, obviously supe server started "what can I do for you?" He smiled sincerely.
"If you wouldn't mind, I would like you to let me know when it is 5:00pm. I would also like a blue Hawaiian and a bottle of bronzing oil if it isn't too much trouble." I smiled back, blushing at being such a cliché.
"Absolutely Miss." He turned and walked back to the bar.
I could get used to this I thought sinfully to myself. After a moment, the server returned with my drink and the bronzer and I realized I had forgotten to ask Eric about Bubba. I'll have to do it tonight I thought to myself. I hope he's okay. I took one sip of my drink, and then sunk into a state of total contentment. I will worry about De Castro, Eric, Bill and everyone else in a few hours. Right now I am going to relax.
And I did.
* * * * *
I guess I had drifted off to sleep, because the next thing I knew I was being poked gently by the young waiter.
"Umm, Miss? It's just after 5:00pm." He said, continuing to tap me gently on the arm.
"Oh! Goodness, thank-you." I said, rousing from my afternoon nap.
"No problem Miss. I hope to see you again tomorrow. The sun will be setting soon and my shift is almost over." He said, smiling, and walked away.
Taking off my sunglasses and looking around me, I noticed that it was very nearly evening and would soon be starting to get dark out. I wasn't at all bothered by this, in fact, I was glad that I felt safe enough to fall asleep by the pool. It had been a long time since I'd truly relaxed, and under the circumstances it was a wonderful gift, even if it only lasted for a couple of hours. Resigning myself to the fact that I now had to go inside and deal with a whole bunch of political vampire crap, I got up and pulled on my shorts. It would still be nice to see Eric.
As I passed the front desk, a young woman at the counter called out to me and signaled that I walk over. She was holding a manila envelope.
"You are Miss Stackhouse, correct?" The woman with a nametag reading 'Suzanne' asked me as I approached the desk.
"Yes." I replied, surprised that she knew me by sight.
"This just arrived for you by rush delivery. It came with the directive that it was for your eyes only. I am to hand it to you personally, and offer you our safe deposit box should you wish to use it." Suzanne said, eyeing my suspiciously.
"Umm, thank you Suzanne. I will not need the safe." I reached out and accepted the manila envelope, surprised at how thick and heavy it was, then walked away. If this was for my eyes only, I would be looking at it in my suite, not the lobby. Anything sent to me could certainly be shared with Eric. Besides, he would still be sleeping so I'd get to see it with my own two eyes first. Suddenly excited about its contents, I rushed to the elevator and then to our room. When I opened the door, I breathed a sigh of relief that Eric was still lying peacefully on the bed, undisturbed. Closing the door and locking it, I ripped open the envelope. I instantly knew why it was so thick; it was heavily padded to keep the contents from ripping through the envelope. I reached inside and pulled out a small piece of ivory colored cardboard, first. In beautiful calligraphy, it read:
Just in case – Niall.
Reaching in cautiously for the second item, I gasped when I pulled out a small, leather sheathed dagger. Slipping it from the sheath, I noticed it was pure silver and engraved with a large N. Niall had obviously sent me his own, very ornate, dagger. I was at once touched, and more than a little frightened. He must have heard somehow about the impending takeover of Hawaii and knew I was here 'vacationing'. I would have to call him and thank him; perhaps even ask him if he had any more information than I did. Eric wouldn't be happy to know that Niall was involved, but at least he had sent me the dagger instead of showing up and delivering it personally.
I looked at the clock. 5:35pm; Eric would be waking up in ten minutes or so. I decided to just sit down and wait. It wouldn't be a good idea to call Niall without talking to Eric first, and I certainly didn't want to leave a silver dagger on the dresser while I showered without explaining it. Carefully putting the dagger back in its sheath, it was very sharp; I placed it on the dresser and walked over to the bed. I picked up the note I had left on the pillow and threw in the garbage, and then slipped off my clothes and lay down with Eric. As soon as my skin came in contact with his, he woke up.
"Good evening, dear one" Eric said, and turned his face to my neck "you smell of many different things. What has my lover been doing without me?" He asked, adorably hurt-sounding. Before I could answer, he started again: "sunshine, saltwater, coconut oil and…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "fairy?" He sat up straight and looked at me curiously. "I don't believe you have been in contact with a fairy, as the scent is very mild, but it is still there. Sookie, would you care to explain what is going on?" He asked me gently.
Eric's senses must be very acute indeed if he could smell fairy from Niall's dagger. Either that or the dagger has been in Niall's possession for so long that its very essence has become imbibed with his scent. Regardless, it was impressive.
"Well, Eric, all of those things are correct. I went outside to lie in the sun for a couple of hours. When I was returning to our room, I received a package from the front desk." I said, motioning to the dresser. "It was a gift from Niall. Don't touch it, even though it's sheathed. It is a dagger of pure silver; Niall's own." I said with a hint of pride.
Eric's expression instantly became one of total awe. "Show me" was all he said.
I stood up and went to the dresser, grabbing the dagger and the note. I handed Eric the note, and unsheathed the dagger, laying it flat on my palm so that he could he could examine it. Eric first lifted the cardboard to his nose, and smiled in ecstasy. Then he leaned over, ever so slowly, to take in the intricately engraved hilt. I watched his eyes as they looked at the razor sharp point of the blade, and heard him growl a little. It was as though he expected the knife to leap out of my hand and stab him. I almost laughed, but decided against it. He then looked at me with a terrifying expression.
"Put it away. I do not want it anywhere near you. It is too dangerous Sookie; I don't care what you say. If another vampire were to discover you were concealing a silver dagger, it would be extremely difficult for me to protect you. More difficult than it already is." Eric said sadly.
"I was told there is a deposit box available to me. Should I put it there?" I asked him, disappointed. It was hard for me to part with something so beautiful, so valuable. I understood Eric's reasoning of course, but it still irritated me.
"I honestly don't know. You do not realize the meaning of what Niall has bestowed upon you. This isn't just a silver dagger, Sookie. It is a fae weapon, one that has been passed to a rightful heir. You would be very dangerous wielding it, even if you don't know how to fight." Eric said, and started pacing around. "Even more puzzling is how Niall knew to send it here. Unfortunately, we don't have time to think about it right now. We need to discuss what you heard from Felipe's mind, and then meet Preston, Pam and Bill for the questioning." Eric said.
I could feel his anxiety strongly through the bond. I wanted to comfort him, but I knew it was useless. I also wanted to call Niall, ask Eric about Bubba, and find out if vampires could ever become, well, less vampire-y. I knew we didn't have time to do these things, but that last issue had been plaguing me since last night. I wasn't sure if I should mention it or not though, Eric would instantly know I was talking about Bill and somehow that felt like betraying his trust.
"Well, can we at least talk while taking a shower? I feel gross." I said, walking towards the bathroom.
"Do you really think that we'll talk in the shower, lover? I smell the fae in you, more acutely now since handling the dagger." Eric said, his fangs extending and a look of hunger taking over his face. "We have no time to waste Sookie. We will shower separately, after you've told me everything you know." He said, even though I could tell it pained him to say so.
"Well, it's exactly like Bill thought" I started to say "Felipe and Victor came here under the pretense of punishing you for vacationing here without permission. They want other royals to know that disloyalty will not be tolerated. Felipe thinks that by making an example out of you, it will be easier to exercise control over others when the time comes. He intends to take every state, one by one, and become King of America. He has sent for his retinue and expects they will be here in a couple of days, but he doesn't know when. It may even be as soon as tomorrow. Felipe said that he would publicly apologize to Preston, and that those who are loyal to him will demonstrate their affection. He assumes Preston will throw a party celebrating their new friendship, at which time it will instead be open war." I said, and looked at Eric to gage his opinion of the situation.
He looked at me blankly for a moment, but then asked: "and how does he expect to make an example out of me as you said? Sookie, I know when you are holding something back." He finished, and walked over to hold my hand. I didn't really want to tell him this part Felipe's horrid plan, but I guess I had to.
"Felipe intends to chain you to silver and make you watch as he…takes me." I said. There was no point in sugar coating it. Eric wouldn't let anything happen to me anyway, at least now we could prepare for the worst. Eric was staring at the floor, and his hand was shaking in mine. His anger filled me up to the point where I was actually frightened of what Eric was going to do.
"You got this from Felipe's mind? Last night?" He said, rage lacing every syllable.
"Yes. He said he was going to torture you so badly that you'd want to meet the sun before he was finished." I said, and lifted his chin to look me in the eye. "But none of that will happen, Eric. We have the upper hand. We will be two steps ahead of him at every turn." I said reassuringly, and kissed him. I couldn't hold his anger in my body; it was too much. I had to do something to calm him down. "Eric" I said, pulling him towards the bathroom "you need to clear your head before you question Felipe and Victor. If you walk in there like this, you will kill them both. We need to approach this situation the right way." I said gently, and turned on the taps.
Eric seemed to sense that I was trying to distract him, and let go of my hand.
"Sookie" Eric said pleadingly "I am hungry, I am wild with anger, and you still smell of fairy. I will not shower with you, I could hurt you. We also don't have much time" He said, and I could tell the idea of being with me was starting to ease some of his hostility; even as he argued against it, he was starting to want it more and more.
"Come with me, Eric" I said, getting inside the shower.
So he did, twice, before the there was a knock at the door.
TBC – Thanks to everyone who has shown interest in the fic. I really didn't expect to write more than a few chapters at first, but your feedback and kind words have made me keep going. So, please review! I'd love to hear anything you have to say!