Chapter 33

Eric POV

By the time I had arrived at Preston's suite I was about ready to pull out a stake and turn that smarmy ass to a pile of goo on the floor. I was fuming. We had always been comrades, and yet he orders my bonded to his room and then turns on his seductive charms? I was a King now, damn it! This sort of shit just wasn't going to fly.

I had been mad enough after listening to Pam and Bill discuss my maker. Now I was going to collect some fucking heads.

At first I had felt mild arousal coming from Sookie, and that had only made me curious. Simply being in Preston's presence brought that out in people. But this, this was a crushing fall-on-your-knees and beg for sex kind of turned on. My lover only felt that way for me!

But what happened when I opened the door was not at all what I was expecting.

Felipe de Castro sat in a chair in the corner of the room, a look of pure madness on his face. He must have been in incredible pain and severely weakened from the wound which had virtually severed his arm, and yet, instead of hiding somewhere and feeding until he healed, here he was in the King's Suite.

Preston was surrounded by what remained of Felipe's old guard. They each held a stake so that it just barely touched him. He was wearing nothing but a pair of pants, which had been torn somehow. He was slumped a little and his eyes had gone totally black. It looked as though he had been forced to use the full extent of his gift on Sookie, who was, thank Odin, still fully clothed.

But she was walking towards Felipe with unbridled lust.

I immediately thought back to a few nights ago when Sookie had heard his thoughts, and told me he intended to have her and force me to watch. This had been his plan all along.

He was a dead man.

"Preston, stop this" I said, trying desperately to reach my old friend. If Sookie got close enough to touch Felipe she would never get over it. And I would fly into a rage the likes of which the world had never known until now.

"It's no use" Felipe sneered "we have a witch in our retinue. Preston has been under my control for an hour now."

"You have no retinue. You are no king." I said, fangs extending in a loud snick. "Let her go now and you will have a quick death."

"Take one step, Northman, and your bitch telepath will be sitting on my lap." Felipe said in a hiss. "She's already frothing at the mouth for a taste." He spat at me.

"Miss Stackhouse" he then said lustily "we need only wait a moment longer."

It was as though she didn't know of anything but what Preston was making her feel for Felipe. She was oblivious to my presence, to anyone's presence but his. It was sickening. It wasn't lust, it was mind control. Preston's gift had been altered somehow by the witches' magic. I wanted to rip the throat from every single vampire that had ever been loyal to Felipe de fucking Castro.

I realized I was actually shaking with anger.

I opened the maker/child bond with Pam, calling her to me with the maker's command. I felt her shock at being commanded and then I sensed her drawing nearer. Satisfied that I had some backup, I then sent every ounce of love I had to Sookie through our bond. I thought about meeting her that first night in Fangtasia, when she wore the white dress with red flowers. I thought about her sucking the bullet from me in Dallas, and about healing her when she had been staked. I remembered her courage in Rhodes. I recalled each and every one of our many embraces. I remembered laughing with her most of all.

Sookie, my Sookie, hear me. I projected at her desperately. Lover, feel me.

"Eric?" She asked suddenly, her voice confused. "Where are we?" she asked in a daze.

"Preston!" Felipe commanded "work harder!" He ordered. "Come here girl" Felipe called to Sookie.

She seemed as though she were a puppet being pulled by a string. She looked at me for a moment, and then turned away, reaching for Felipe.

Finally the effort of using the entirety of his gift for so long seemed to be too much for Preston. He slid to the floor and began to convulse. At that exact moment, Pam and Bill kicked in the door to Preston's room and stormed in, along with about twenty of Preston's retinue.

About fucking time I thought. Just what kind of Kingdom was Preston running anyway? Oh right I remembered the kind that's more of a harem than a court.

Outnumbered about three to one, De Castro's guards dropped their weapons. I had a long sword in my hand and their heads on the floor before Felipe stood up. I flew to his side and pinned him to the wall.

Gasps of shock escaped the mouths of Preston's guards.

"Hear me now" I thundered "the person who lays an unwanted hand on my beloved will meet the end of my sword." I meant it.

"Threaten a king and you will be offered no quarter. These vampires held your King against his will. They have been dealt with" I finished.

Sookie finally seemed to be out from under Preston's control. She started to waver a little on the spot. Bill was at her side to catch her in an instant. As irritating as that was, I was relieved she hadn't fallen. She was only partially conscious. Bill brought her to the sofa.

Pam had run to Preston.

"Call Ludwig, Pamela, now" I ordered. She had her phone in her hand and had dialed the number in less than a second.

"What do we do with this treacherous filth?" I asked the room at large, as I held him to the wall by the neck.

Felipe looked green.

"The council will never stand for this Northman. I'm a King!" He hissed. I grasped his neck harder, preventing him from speaking again.

"The kill is yours, King Eric the Norseman" sounded a raspy voice from behind me.

I recognized that voice. It was the Ancient Pythoness.

"Pythoness" I said, turning sideways a little and bowing my head. Under normal circumstances I would have sunk to one knee before her. As it was, I couldn't let go of Felipe.

"You've been busy" she stated.

"Yes" I agreed.

At that moment, Ludwig popped into the room as well.

"What now, Northman?" Ludwig asked impatiently. Then she spotted the Pythoness and bowed. "Apologies, wise one" she said.

"Amy, you haven't called me that in over a century. Please see to King Mandrel. Then see to the poor telepath" she ordered, and Ludwig promptly hustled over to Preston, pushing Pam out of the way.

"Now then" she addressed me again "are you going to stake him or not? I grow tired of waiting."

Felipe's eyes widened with terror. I was about to obey when Sookie spoke up.

"I wish to say something first" she said, standing up and wobbling a little.

"Sookie, you should rest-

"I will. But I need to do this." She insisted, walking towards us.

Preston's guards, Bill, Pam, Ludwig, and the Pythoness observed in rapt attention.

"You offered me your formal protection" Sookie said sadly "I saved your life."

"Eric, can you let him speak please?" She asked me.

I loosened my hold a little.

"You are nothing. You are a human pet. Do not presume to converse with me" Felipe choked out.

"You have no honor. You do not deserve an honorable death." She said, unstrapping the dagger from her thigh. "I do not relish violence, but after what you intended to do to me…" Sookie trailed off.

Then she looked to me for approval. She wished to kill him herself.

My Sookie, she was magnificent.

I nodded in agreement with her decision.

She then stood inches away from De Castro, and plunged the silver knife into his heart. He met the true death instantly.

A flash of brilliant white light burst forth from the room and she disappeared.

"What the fuck?" Pam asked, looking around in panic.

"Interesting" the Pythoness added "good luck Northman. I must take my leave" she concluded, before she too, disappeared.

"Explain" I demanded of Ludwig, since she was the only person in the room qualified to even begin to formulate an explanation of what had happened.

"Relax, Viking" Dr. Ludwig said "I dare say she'll be fine. Preston Mandrel is less so."

Pam looked stricken.

At this I decided the guards were privy to far too much.

"All those of Preston's retinue may take their leave. I will look after your king." I said, in a voice which brooked no argument. "Send a team to clean this mess in two hours." I finished.

They all bowed and left.

"What needs to be done?" I asked Ludwig, as I knelt by Preston's side.

"It seems that his energy, supernatural and otherwise, has been totally expended" Ludwig clucked in a decidedly judgemental way "he has been using his gift far too much and his chi has depleted."

"There was a war!" Pam said protectively "and then he was forced!"

"Even so" Ludwig said "coupled with this nasty amateur spell work…" she reached into her medical satchel and removed what appeared to be a yellowed magnifying glass. She opened one of Preston's eyelids and peered at him through the glass.

"The spell should, shall we say, time out now that Felipe is dead. But it will be severely mentally taxing. His ability, his vitality may never return" she concluded.

"But he will live?" I asked hopefully.

"If vampires can be considered to live, then yes, I expect he will. But he will need blood. A lot of it." She said, closing her bag. "Northman, I'll send you the bill." With that, she unceremoniously popped out.

"When we find the witch who did this" Pam said, picking Preston up as though he weighed nothing and laying him on the bed "she will beg for death."

"For all we know she was coerced" Bill said "we should uncover the truth before acting rashly."

Pam shot daggers at him and he shrugged but said nothing else.

"We need to find Sookie. Now" I said, the enormity of her disappearance weighing on me fully.

"How?" Pam and Bill asked, somewhat in unison.

"By contacting the only person who might be able to help us" I said, reaching for my phone.

"And that person is…?" Bill asked testily.

I would definitely have to deal with Compton before the coronation. His insubordination was unacceptable.

"Niall" I said, and typed in the number I had seen on a business card on top of Sookie's things.

Sookie POV

When I opened my eyes I was in my bed in Bon Temps. Claudine was leaning over me, watching me intently.

"What happened?" I asked blearily.

"Who's to say?" Claudine said cryptically.

I wasn't in the mood for this. I decided on a more straightforward question.

"How did I get here, then?" I asked, sitting up.

She handed me a steaming mug of coffee.

I guess she really is my guardian angel I thought.

"I can't really answer that, Sookie" Claudine said, sitting down on the bed.

"What do you mean you can't answer that?" I asked, glaring at her in frustration.

"Well, I can't answer it because I'm kind of flabbergasted myself. Was it you who brought you here? The daggers' magic? Niall? Was it my wishing for your safety, or was it all of those things?" She said, and I could tell she honestly didn't know.

I could feel a headache coming on.

"Has anyone thought to call Eric at least?" I asked, searching frantically around the bed for my cell phone.

"All of your things are still in your hotel room" Claudine said "except that." She gestured to the dagger. It sat on my bedside table innocently. A flash of sunlight gleamed through the curtains and landed squarely on the hilt.

"You didn't answer my question" I said.

"The Viking knows you are safe" she replied, frowning a little.

"Was that so hard?" I asked, getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

"You should really rest, cousin" Claudine said "I am here to take care of you."

"Thank you, but I can take care of myself" I said. "Have you eaten breakfast?" I asked, remembering my manners.

"I have not. Would you like me to make some bacon and eggs?" She asked hopefully.

"That would be heaven" I replied honestly, and then decided to give her a hug. She was only trying to help, after all, and fairies did love their physical contact.

I noticed that I felt better, too.

TBC

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