Chapter 39
Sookie POV
I ended up getting more than a little tipsy with my two fairy cousins, Claude and Claudine, while waiting for the sun to go down. Earlier in the day Quinn had told me about how Bill organized his sister Frannie's abduction, and along with everything else he had done I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around what kind of person Bill really was.
Do you ever really know another person? I wondered.
If the answer was no, how can you truly love someone? There wasn't a simple answer to that question. I did know that I loved Eric, and in a far more honest way than I had ever loved Bill. Yet Eric had lived for over a thousand years. I hadn't even learned about the smallest fraction of the events that had shaped his life, or the decisions he had made over the centuries that had made him, him.
So rather than think on it too much, I got a bit drunk. It was probably not the most responsible plan since I had to speak to Bill this evening, and since Eric and I had a lot to catch each other up on as well. But it cheered me up a little and made spending a few hours with Claude much more tolerable.
About an hour prior to sunset, I felt Eric stir in the bond and awaken. Since strengthening our tie to each other in Hawaii, I was learning how to decipher his complex range of emotions. It was a difficult task since he had a tendency to mute his feelings in some cases and amplify them in others. It often seemed as though everything he thought or felt was uncommonly layered. Perhaps it was from the constant need to strategize and examine all possible outcomes. Love was often mingled with caution, for example, and fear was often coupled with anticipation. It gave me a deeper perspective on who he was but simultaneously made him a mystery to me.
If you could ever hope to define Eric Northman, I thought, it would be by calling him a contradiction. He was a sort of gorgeous, fierce, contradiction. And knowing he was awake and nearby comforted me. Even if it meant he was at Bill's.
Suddenly I felt a spike in his emotions; Eric was…alarmed by something? I immediately tried to call his cell from the landline but it rang once and went straight to voicemail.
He must already be on the phone I thought. I didn't bother to leave a message since I knew he would likely call me back shortly and if not I'd be seeing him in an hour.
And really I thought what can go wrong in less than an hour when most other vamps were still resting anyhow?
At that, I decided it was time to run upstairs and freshen up before sundown. I had already showered earlier but thought a second one might help me clear my head a little from the fog of multiple gin and tonics and over-analysing.
"I'm going to take a shower and get ready" I said to Claudine, who had been watching me mutely with a slightly worried expression for the last few minutes. Claude had been sipping his drinks and pointedly ignoring me for over an hour while reading a gossip magazine.
"Of course cousin" she said amiably "is there anything we can do down here to help you out while we wait?" Claude glared at his sister. He was so not in the business of helping people out.
"Not really" I said, and then realized there was one thing. "Actually" I said "can you answer the phone if it rings? I'm expecting a call from Eric."
"If tall, blond, and dead calls I will come get you right away" she said with a small smile. I could tell she wasn't totally on board with my choice of lovers but at least she was polite enough not to say so outright.
I gave her a quick hug and went upstairs.
0o0o0o0
Forty five minutes later, I was dressed and ready to go. But when I made it back downstairs, Claude and Claudine were gone. I had planned to leave for Bill's in a few minutes and now I wondered if it would be foolish to go alone.
Where are they? I wondered. Walking out to the living room I looked around but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. That's strange I thought they came here to help me and then leave before getting the chance?
It didn't make sense.
Bill would never hurt me anyway I reassured myself. Would he?
I couldn't answer that question with any certainty but it didn't matter. Eric was at Bill's and there was no better protection than my Viking. With that in mind, I tampered down my nervousness and headed out the front door.
Walking down the familiar wooded path towards the old Compton house, I was flooded with memories about when we first met. Bill had been such a gentleman to me, he was my first love. That was until I discovered he had been sent to procure me for the Queen, before the horrible events in Jackson, before so much, too much, had happened between us for a relationship to work. For all of that, there was always a part of me that kept forgiving him. A part of me that wanted to believe there was some kind of explanation for everything and that Bill truly loved me and would never want to cause me pain.
That innocence was now long gone and recent events told me that perhaps what I thought I knew about Bill was no more than wishful thinking. I didn't doubt that somewhere in his twisted mind Bill thought he loved me, but if I was being honest, I hadn't known myself what love was until Eric.
Bill was just a very painful stepping stone in that journey.
And I think, finally, I totally accepted it.
In that moment I decided no matter what came next for me; Eric would be a part of it. If he truly wanted me to be his Queen, I would try to be the best damn queen Louisiana had ever seen; even if my American upbringing found the entire notion absurd.
By now I had reached the graveyard and Bill's house was just up ahead. I felt a powerful surge of anxiety from Eric, followed by grim determination. I quickened my pace as Bill's house came into full view.
I was only a hundred feet from the porch when someone grabbed me violently, knocking my head with something hard.
I felt a trickle of blood run down my face and then everything went black.
0o0o0o0o
Eric POV
It was time to meet my maker.
When I closed the front door to Compton's shabby shithole behind me, the instinct to go to Sookie had been almost overwhelming. But I couldn't. I had to meet Appius, right now, and the risk of taking her with me or even stopping to see her were great. My maker was too fast, too strong, and any deviance from the arrangements I had made with Ocella could be fatal to my beautiful stubborn fairy.
I could only pray to the Gods that Sookie's Fae cousins were looking after her, and that Appius had been unable to enter the wards around her house. I also prayed that Niall upheld his promise to come to my aid. Fairies were notoriously devious, and if he had a hidden agenda that he could profit from in some way, I knew he would do so and damn the consequences.
I searched the bond quickly for Sookie's emotions, and felt only contemplativeness. I found that curious but it comforted me to know she was unharmed.
Taking a deep breath, I took to the sky.
Flying was my only advantage over the clusterfuck that was my current situation. I hoped to be able to assess any additional threats, and to try and spot my maker earlier than he would expect. Every detail I learned could prove to be helpful and any gaps in my assessment extremely dangerous.
Suddenly the bond I shared with my lover was struck with a crushing blow. Sookie was wounded, somehow, and unconscious. A wave of sickening panic went through me.
I hovered in the air a moment, looking down and scanning the area. Past the cemetery near Bill's, a dark van sped away. Whether this was Ocella's doing or Compton's, I knew Sookie was in that van. Where the fuck were the fucking fairy cousins who were supposed to be guarding her? The whole scenario felt wrong to me, as though planned.
It's all connected somehow I thought. But how? Regardless, heads were going to roll.
But there would be no answers until I went to Appius. I knew I had to go to him, while every second my bonded grew further away. Although she was unconscious, I sent her my love with all my strength of will.
I'll find you, Sookie, and this will all be over soon I thought to her, wondering if in some deep place in her mind she could hear me.
0o0o0o0
As I descended swiftly into the woods surrounding Sookie's property, I had seen no one and felt nothing through my bond with Ocella.
I landed on the ground behind her farmhouse without a sound.
Was Niall here? Was my maker?
My question was answered immediately.
"I am pleased that you honored our agreement and came alone" my maker's voice whispered from behind me. He had not been standing there even a microsecond before.
"Of course, you've always been honorable, Eric my child, and it is perhaps your single greatest downfall" he said, brushing a long-nailed fingertip across my jaw and slicing open the skin. A thick drop of blood pooled under his nail. I stood unmoving as he sucked it out with a smirk. I was used to his advances and wouldn't satisfy him by recoiling.
"I taste fairy in you." He said, savouring it. My blood had inextricably woven with Sookie's from our frequent passionate exchanges. "Not an unpleasant flavor" he added, clearly excited by the combination of his power over me and the new taste of my blood.
I was repulsed. There had been a time when I, although disturbed and frightened, had also respected his power in spite of myself. Now I wanted to drive a stake through his heart and never look back.
"Where is Thalia?" I said quietly, venom lacing my every word.
"All in due time my son" Ocella said "we have negotiations to make."
"Tell me what you want, Ocella. After one thousand years, I tire of your games." I said, and meant it.
"You dare speak to me in this manner?!" he said, outraged "I should punish you severely for your disobedience."
"There is nothing further you could do to me" I said, staring him straight in the eye. I was bluffing, of course. There was still one weakness he could exploit. Sookie. "And I am to be King. Maker or not, do you really wish to go down this road, Ocella?"
"Calm yourself" he said, huffing "we shall start over. I require several things of great importance that you can provide. I have asked nothing of you in these many years. As your Maker and the one who gave you eternal life on this earth, you owe me a great debt. Once you agree to my terms and carry out my wishes, I will release you from our bond."
"What are these services you require?" I asked. As we spoke, I was listening intently for a sign that there were others nearby. Whether vampire, fairy, or otherwise. I couldn't detect the presence of a single other being.
Niall, where the fuck are you? I wondered.
"As you may have heard, I have sired another" Appius started, while pacing as though frustrated "in doing so, I thought to preserve a piece of history. He was a royal child, and handsome, with enormous potential. My crowning achievement…" he said wistfully "…if the turning had been completely successful. But, where magic is involved, one can never be certain of result. The trauma of his youth, his health, the late hour at which the turning began…I believe these things to be the primary factors in his mental state. Newborns are always a challenge but Alexei has been triply so. I am fond of him, though he is totally unpredictable and something of a liability. The usual methods do not seem to affect his mind as they should. He is as though turned yesterday. Foolish, unquenchable." Ocella finished, as though unsuccessful psychological torture was simply a small annoyance.
"I fail to see how this concerns me" I said blandly.
"The insolence! Did I say you could speak?" Ocella said, slapping me as though I were but a child.
Inwardly, images of me ripping his throat out came to the forefront of my mind. Outwardly I was as unflinching as a stone.
"I require more time and more exotic methods to tame my childe. Unfortunately he has been getting some unwanted attention of late. I fear a collective movement to sanction Alexei's true death. I cannot allow this to happen. And so, I have been making arrangements with some American monarchs to secure his safety. My foremost contact had been Felipe de Castro. It seems he had an unusual interest in a certain telepathic woman from right here in Louisiana. Once I learned that the very same woman was in your retinue, I knew this would be the best solution. A simple trade: your Sookie for my Alexei's protection. Unfortunately you executed De Castro only a few nights ago. It may not have been dire, had his second survived. But I have been told of Madden's recent demise as well. This complicated things. It left me but one choice, a less favorable option. The young Queen Freyda of Oklahoma has a tenuous monarchy over her people. She is still relatively inexperienced in the political game and requires an alliance with someone of strength and renown to secure her position. Namely: you." Ocella finished.
"I am bonded already and I am to be King" I said, seething at the notion of being sold to some Queen for her personal gain "your desire for a controllable child means nothing to me. By vampire custom, you cannot separate me from my bonded nor can you force me to form a political alliance with Oklahoma against my wishes."
"Of course I can. Have you forgotten the maker's command?" He said with a sneer.
I looked around quickly, wondering again where the fuck Niall was. I decided to stall.
"Have you not considered that once I have my coronation, I could simply offer my own protection as king for the child? I could create a sanction myself which would ensure his safety." I said, stating the obvious.
"It is not that simple. I have…other debts to the young Queen as well. I had hoped that with your telepath in Nevada with Felipe, the idea of joining with Oklahoma would be beneficial to you politically. Regardless it is too late, the contract has been signed and she awaits your arrival at court." Appius said finally.
"I thought you were here to negotiate" I said "what is there to negotiate if the arrangements are already finalized? And you are much stronger and older than Oklahoma. Why not simply kill her and be done with it? I feel as though I am missing something."
"Eric you must know by now that you cannot simply kill every monarch who gets in your way. I am here to offer you an exchange. You may have your dog Thalia to take with you as a strong second, on the condition that you give me the Stackhouse girl. Otherwise, I will simply kill Thalia, and take the half-breed fairy regardless. And maybe I will end your childe Pam as well for the pure joy of it." Ocella said.
I took a step forward, gathering my hands into balled fists as my fangs extended.
"You will not touch Sookie, or Pamela" I said "and what use could you possibly have for my bonded with De Castro dead?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked "primarily I thought to use her as permanent leverage against you. But then I realized there was more to gain from her than that. There are others who want the telepath" Appius said "very much indeed" he added.
"Like me" came a voice from the woods. It was Compton.
"You take one more step towards me Bill and I will collect your fucking head." I said, and meant it.
"Appius Livius Ocella" Bill said, bowing now and formally addressing my maker while standing still. He made no move towards me.
Wise choice I thought but you are still going to die tonight.
"William" Ocella said, barely glancing in his direction.
"Miss Stackhouse has been secured" Bill said "she actually came to me." He gloated "I didn't have to step off my own property to abduct her."
"Freyda will be pleased" Ocella said, a small twisted smile forming on his lips.
This was getting more convoluted by the minute.
"What use is Sookie to Freyda?" I asked, incredulous.
"Open your eyes Eric" Bill said "she wants you to herself. How is that possible with Sookie in the picture? I made a deal with Oklahoma that was beneficial to us all. For bonding Sookie to me, and delivering you to Freyda, she will have a strong husband to help secure her Kingdom. With Felipe out of the way and now Preston as well, Hawaii, Nevada, Arkansas and Louisiana are all up for grabs until your coronation. This way, Oklahoma will simply absorb those Kingdoms, save one, which also strengthens her position enormously. Appius and Alexei will be untouchable under such an incredibly powerful monarch, you and your retinue will be under Freyda's influence, and I get both Sookie and Louisiana for my trouble. Everyone wins."
"Except for the part where you are a traitorous bastard and Sookie will never love you. The sheriffs of Louisiana will never respect you, and I will end you before any of this occurs." I spat "and how the fuck could someone as pathetic as you coordinate this? How did you even get in touch with my maker?"
"That part is simple" Appius interjected "when Compton was creating his database he uncovered the fact that I am your maker. He contacted me through some mutual acquaintances and has been my spy on the movements of your territory ever since."
Bill looked positively gleeful.
Uncontrollable rage ran hotly through my veins. My total disregard of him due to his age and how annoying he was had been a severe miscalculation. He was incredibly manipulative, ambitious, and delusional. The fact that I had let him live because I wanted to avoid hurting Sookie had also been a mistake I could never afford to make again. She would have to understand this.
Just as soon as I got the fuck out of this mess and she was by my side.
"Your anger betrays you Eric" my Maker said "it runs through my blood. I have not felt such passionate fury from you in centuries. You will not harm Compton. I have guaranteed him thus."
"Besides, if you kill me" Bill said "you will never find Sookie."
Suddenly my bond with Sookie sprang back to life. She had awoken from having presumably been knocked out. I felt her fear, and then I felt what can only be described as a gathering of strength and focus. I was about to send her caution through the bond when-
POP – she appeared before my eyes about thirty feet away. She had teleported herself from her captivity and into the protective circle of the ward surrounding her property.
The look on Ocella's and Bill's faces was almost worth the litany of bullshit I had had to endure since I rose for the night. I was so proud of her, my love, my bonded. She was magnificent. And yet, I wanted her as far away from here as possible.
"I'll never find Sookie, eh Bill?" I said "you were there when she popped out of the room in Hawaii." I added "how fucking stupid are you?"
"I assumed she had had help" Bill replied, his face ashen.
I looked over at my lover, who was wavering a little on the spot. She was hurt, and looked tired from the magic she had expended. Still, she smiled at me. It was a sad smile, for our situation, for Bill's betrayal, for the constant drama we faced, but it filled my heart with her warmth nonetheless.
At that, there were two more loud pops and suddenly her fairy cousins were standing on either side of her.
"Where have you been?" she asked them, and then noticed they were both bleeding as well. "My god, what happened to you two?"
"We were detained" the male fairy, Claude, said. Then he pointed at Bill "this one sent some werewolf goons after us. After you. We heard a noise in the woods outside your house while you were showering and went to investigate."
The female fairy, Claudine, shuddered.
"How could he, why would he, do such a thing?" Sookie asked, confused.
"Why does a fucking vampire do anything?" Claude asked, disgustedly, while wiping his bloodied hands in his pants "at least the filthy animals are dead."
"I tire of this" Ocella said. And then he yelled "Alexei, join us. Bring the bitch Thalia."
I'll admit that the idea of a two thousand year old vampire as vicious as Thalia being transported anywhere by a baby vampire scarcely 150 alarmed me.
What had they done to her?
A moment later my question was answered when a coffin, which by my best guess appeared to be made entirely out of silver, was wheeled out of the forest by a deranged young teenager in thick fireproof gloves. I've seen a lot in a thousand years but this was high fucking up there on the scale of unexpected visuals.
"Open it" Ocella commanded, not concerned at all about her escaping.
Alexei opened the coffin expertly, managing not to come into contact with any silver at all. Everyone in the clearing was transfixed, expecting the worst for Thalia's condition.
What we were not expecting, however, was for Niall to sit bolt upright in the coffin as it sprung open with a completely amused expression.
"My Prince" the two fairies said, going immediately to one knee.
"You told me not to be seen, Viking" Niall said, addressing me with a laugh.
"How in seven hells did this happen?" My maker commanded "Niall fucking Brigant? What is the meaning of this?" he demanded "Where is Thalia?"
Alexei was inching closer to the coffin, undoubtedly smelling pure fae for the first time. How he had been duped moments before was anyone's guess. Alexei's eyes glazed over, his fangs ran down, and he simply said: "I want you" before lunging at Niall.
Having clearly forgotten the pure silver of the coffin in his haze of lust, Alexei had imprisoned himself as Niall nimbly jumped out of the coffin just in time and shut the lid on the young vampire with a loud click.
"You will die, fairy" Appius said dangerously, all pretense of handling the situation politically vanishing as we speak.
I noticed Bill was now nowhere to be seen. In the confusion of the last few moments, he had escaped unnoticed. No doubt he realized he was outnumbered now, the odds no longer totally in Appius' favor.
It mattered not; I would find him and kill him before the sun went down.
"Where is Thalia?" I asked Niall, my expression one of gratitude for what he had accomplished already.
"She is recovering, somewhere hidden in the woods. I teleported her out of the coffin, with no small amount of magic might I add, to where I stood in wait. I gave her some blood then popped myself into the coffin in her place. Fairies have no weakness to silver." Niall said proudly.
"You have my thanks" I said, wincing at the word weakness. Vampires had no weaknesses. I would remind him of that, someday.
"I didn't do it for you" he pointed out, looking at his kin standing huddled together within the wards around Sookie's house. "And anyway I've known Thalia for many years. She was not always as she is now."
I had no idea what he meant by that but left it alone. I sensed Appius was about to make a move. I could sense his tolerance for chatter ending, and his fury for being undermined rising exponentially.
"ENOUGH!" Ocella shouted suddenly "I am the most powerful being any of you will ever know. You cannot hope to match my strength or speed. I may be outnumbered, but you fairies have depleted your magic significantly and it would take many more of you still to prove a threat to one such as me."
"So you will all do as I say" he then said, looking directly at Sookie "or your beloved Eric dies. Oklahoma's contract be damned."
Before his last word was spoken my Maker had appeared behind me and held my neck in one of his hands, my body secured to him tightly with the other.
"Their magic may be depleted" said a voice from the side of Sookie's house "but ours is not."
The witch Amelia, and her mentor Octavia, appeared from the darkness.
"And we are spoiling for a fight" came the shifter Merlotte's voice, with Alcide Herveaux and what appeared to be his entire pack. Behind them were Calvin Norris and the werepanthers, and even Sookie's idiot brother, Jason. He looked shocked and in awe of the scene before him. For once I agreed with his assessment.
From the other side of the property, the weretiger Quinn had also arrived, though the fact that he would show his face around Sam or Sookie was incomprehensible to me.
I quickly realized the entire supernatural community of Bon Temps had shown up. And then some.
"Oklahoma's contract be damned?" A female voice sounded from the woods. Suddenly a gigantic barrage of vampires came running onto Sookie's property followed by Freyda, Queen of Oklahoma. I noticed Bill amongst their ranks. So that's where he went I thought he always has a backup plan. I'd have been impressed if I didn't hate him and want to rip off his traitorous-
"Ocella, that's just bad business." Freyda continued "But, given the circumstance you currently find yourself in I can forgive you. Provided you honor our bargain and deliver Eric the Norseman to me. And you should know by now that I always keep an eye on my investments."
"I can kill him before any of you even begin to approach me" Appius warned.
"Oh but then you would have no allies here at all. Right now you have my retinue." Oklahoma said.
"We don't want this to escalate into all-out war" Niall yelled, making his presence known once again. "Vampires haven't warred with the Fae in centuries. To include Witches and Weres as well? The losses to the supernatural community would be devastating."
"But it would be fun" said a voice from above me.
Who the fuck is showing up now? I wondered. I was flabbergasted beyond fucking belief by what I was witnessing.
My child Karin, who had inherited my ability to fly, landed right in front of Appius with my other child Pam, in tow.
"You expected us to miss out on all the fun?" Pam asked, her eyebrows raised.
I hoped Preston was well guarded somewhere and recovering. But I literally couldn't spare a single second to worry about it right now.
"It seems you aren't so honorable after all, my child" Appius whispered into my ear, then "involving fairies, your progeny, and a whole circus of other supernaturals. I underestimated you." He said, almost seductively, running the tip of his fangs over my neck. "If you live through the night, perhaps you will make a good King. We could rule the Kingdom together. Agree to my terms for the sake of appearances and we will make a new plan, a new strategy. You can even keep your pet telepath."
His toxic words and the sickening feel of his arms around me was the catalyst which finally made me spring in to action. Perhaps it had been pure shock, or maybe it was my fear of Sookie getting hurt, but I had been in an almost trance-like state since arriving in the presence of my maker. It harkened back to the days when I was a newly turned vampire. Ocella's control over my mind was unrivaled; he was the only person alive who had the power to instill fear in me.
But not anymore, I realized.
TBC