Chapter 45: Misery Business
With the way Pamela drove, they would be in Bon Temps in 30 minutes or less. She zigzagged across all the lanes on the highway, passing cars left and right. It was Pamela's road, and everyone else was just a guest on it. Olivia gripped her seat, trying to take deep breaths but she may have been quietly hyperventilating the entire time. At least she drove a Porsche SUV. These things had good safety ratings right? Wasn't that the whole point of SUVs? Here's hoping Porsche was vampire driver proof.
"Only speak when you're spoken to." Pamela broke the relative silence with a final order. The engine was roaring and almost every truck they passed honked at them for the vampire's reckless driving.
"I didn't say anything."
"I mean with Bill," Pam said, not taking her gaze away from the dark road ahead. And that was a good thing. "If he has questions about the Casino that I can't answer, you can. Otherwise, you are there for decoration."
A decoration? "Wow. You flatter me, Pam."
"I know! Wait until I start being nice." The vampire gave her a side smile that was actually quite charming. "But seriously, let me do the talking. I'm not the Queen of Louisiana or Eric for that matter. It may come as a surprise to you, but people can actually tell me to fuck off."
Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Can they really? I should try sometime."
"Yes, and if you go in there and Olivia all over the place, he will tell us to fuck off."
"I'm really loving this vote of confidence Pam."
"Don't take it personally, love. You deal with humans, I deal with vampires. Know your place."
She understood where Pamela was coming from, but Olivia thought the statement was quite odd. Her job very much entailed dealing with humans and vampires. She found Godric, she infiltrated a religious cult, she found out Arkansas was making a power move, saved Pamela's ass in court, created a drug empire, expanded their portfolio, rebranded their business, blackmailed a Governor, out-chessed the DEA and for all intents and purposes - handled their own vampire Queen when needed. So what the hell did she mean - her place was to deal with humans? Olivia had always done so much more than that. Why not this?
Not wanting her hair to be pulled again, she stayed quiet but vigilant. Olivia would have to learn how to navigate Pamela, just like she learned Eric. Well… Her heart ached a little. She hadn't learned how to handle Eric at all. Not even close. Because, unlike his child, he wasn't interested in business at all. What he wanted was something else entirely - he wanted her. But Pamela wanted power, control, and money. That was a language Olivia spoke fluently. So whatever, if being arm candy was the motif of the night so be it.
The trees they drove past grew larger as the road under them got narrower. The beautiful full moon made the grass fields shine silver. It was really beautiful and serene out here. The houses here varied from quaint Victorian farm homes to beautiful Antebellum estates. When the car made a turn into a graveyard, Olivia became very aware of the weapon between her legs once again.
"Why are we in a graveyard right now?"
"He lives at the end of the road."
Olivia still looked around, hoping to find witnesses to her own murder. There were no other houses around that she could see, and she hadn't seen another car in at least 10 minutes.
"I didn't drive all the way out here to kill you."
Yeah! Sure! "Didn't say you were."
"Trust me, I would not ruin my favorite heels with graveyard dirt for you."
Pamela had the weirdest talent of making compliments out of insults. Or was it the other way around?
Just as they drove over the hill, a beautiful white house appeared behind ancient peach trees. It was a classic plantation home with a double-stacked veranda. The lawn and the gardens surrounding the U-shaped driveway were manicured to perfection. Upclose, this house must have at least 10 bedrooms. The garage beside the main building alone must have been twice the size of her own house. You could tell even the outdoor lighting was purposely installed to do justice to its grandeur. It was stunning.
"I think I understand now," Olivia muttered.
"Yeah, see? I told you I knew rich people." Pamela parked the car right in front of the main steps.
"This isn't rich. This is wealthy-"
She gave Olivia a grin. "Wait until you see inside."
If every vampire they met had a house like this, they would raise the money no problem. Olivia's skin tingled with excitement, and she was kicking herself internally that all she was here for was to be stupid decoration. Her Princeton bachelors diploma was rolling itself on its newly hung frame. Pamela and Olivia walked up the porch stairs, looking like a set of movie stars worthy of this home. Before they got a chance of knocking on the beautiful double door, a figure appeared behind the crystal glass window.
The double doors swung open gently, revealing a pale man with sparkling blue eyes and raven-colored hair. He had a kind face and wore a prince of wales check button-up, jeans, and a belt with an ornate buckle. He looked to be in his 40s and gave her a non-threatening dad vibe, who golfed on Sundays. He was handsome-ish, but not striking like Eric, Pamela or Chow.
"My goodness Pamela, you look more beautiful every time I see you," he said with a comfortable smile. His charming southern twang was a bit different from the ones she heard so far. It was older and more proper.
"Finally someone noticed it," Pamela chuckled, batting her eyelashes.
Bill picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles softly. He then turned his entire attention to Olivia. "And who is this lovely creature accompanying you tonight?"
"This is our business manager Olivia Carson. Olivia, this is Bill Compton."
At least Olivia had been upgraded from accountant to business manager. The Collector picked Olivia's hand gently as if she were breakable. It wasn't usual for vampires to give out handshakes or physical greetings because it always gave away their cold surface to unsuspecting humans. Even now, after the Great Revelation, this old habit had not changed. But not Bill, at least not with her. His hand was cold but soft just like the lips that kissed the skin on the back of her hand. She felt a shiver run down her spine.
"A pleasure to meet you," Olivia said with a careful smile.
"Likewise," his gaze went up to hers with a curious expression on his face. Like wonder. "Please come inside. It's so wonderful to have guests on such a beautiful night."
Pam and Liv entered the stunning foyer, standing below the biggest chandelier she had ever seen in someone's house. The hardwood was deep mahogany, polished to perfection. Every single piece of furniture looked handmade by colonial artisans, far too heavy for a single human to move. The flower arrangement by the grand staircase made Godric's gift look like a grocery bought bouquet. The walls were covered in oil paintings with golden frames, the floor had exquisite rugs that made Olivia wonder if she would rather risk stepping on the woven wool, or scratch the luxurious wood with her heels.
Atop of the stairs, a woman appeared. She was a beautiful girl, no older than 20, with bright copper hair and the face worthy of a Nikolas Sparks novel cover. Her hair was curled and her bangs pinned, framing her delicate face. She wore a pretty deep blue dress with vintage flowers on it, and the neckline was square and it flared down her hips. Her pale skin almost sparkled and not in the normal redhead way. Olivia remembered Pam mentioned Bill Compton was old-fashioned.
"Look who we have here," Pamela said almost but salivating.
"This is Jessica, my progeny," he spoke proudly as the girl made her way down the stairs, like a girl presenting herself at a debutante ball.
"Bill! You didn't tell me you made a child."
"She's new. Just a few months old."
Olivia felt a growing concern deep inside her. She was far away from home, in an isolated house with a bunch of strangers she did not know or trust; away from the one vampire who swore to protect her.
And there was Chow too.
The chill she felt earlier spread to her skin. She didn't know what to do with her hands, with her body, or where to look. She wasn't used to being there for decoration. She just wanted Pamela to bring up the Casino already so they could go home.
"Want me to give 'em tour, daddy?" The girl asked Bill in a flat voice that did not match her smile.
"Of course darling."
Jessica motioned for them to follow her past the parlor doors into a large living room filled with collectibles in glass cases. Olivia followed her out of politeness, but she noted Pamela and Bill kept at least 10 feet back. The baby vampire started listing off all of her Maker's precious items like a museum tour guide.
There were jewels of fallen Irish Queens, original Vermeers and Cezannes, Japanese swords of ancient warriors, original stone etched poems of Greek lyricists, lost historical texts that held old mysteries, old bibles of the first century, a taxidermy of Layka the first dog in space; Romanov Easter eggs adorned the grand marble mantle of the room, a camera from a lost British explorer who disappeared in the Everest 100 years ago - all behind custom made glass cases. Jessica also told the tales of how her Maker had acquired all of these. Some he purchased, some he had stolen, but most he killed for. The stories were gruesome. The Collector seemed to have an affinity for feasting his stomach while lining his pockets.
It made all of this feel ten times more impressive and a thousand times scarier. Bill Compton, still eyeing her at all times, had procured treasures for himself and taken what he wanted, not minding the consequences. And he did it over and over again, accumulating more riches than her brain could add up together. There must have enough money in this room to fund 100 Casinos or open its own fucking Louvre.
Bill Compton being old-fashioned was a bit of an understatement.
"Does he ever sell any of his… Collectibles?" Olivia asked. Owning stolen goods didn't particularly increase your legal assets. Certainly having these things sit in his house didn't pay the bills. A house like this must be expensive to maintain.
"Sometimes, but you don't have to worry about that," Jessica said in a calming tone.
…Why would she worry about that?
Glancing back between Jessica's lectures, Olivia caught glimpses of Pamela and Bill having a quiet conversation, still hanging 10 feet back at all times. She felt like a schoolgirl in a big museum, watching her parents take a stroll from further behind, discussing adult things she was not privy to. This was a goddamn waste of billable hours. She felt so fucking useless, and she knew Eric would never waste her talents like this.
They spent about 20 minutes roaming the first floor of the house, finishing back again in the foyer. Olivia noticed there wasn't a single other person to be seen anywhere - vampire or human. Wouldn't Bill need security? Or staff? She shot out her senses upwards, pretending to admire her chandelier once more. Quiet. When she tried to listen to anything downstairs, she picked him hums and murmurs, but nothing distinguishable.
"Thank you so much for your business proposal, Pamela. I found it rather intriguing." Bill said, with a short bow.
Pam smiled. "I knew you would. I really hope you do consider it. Opportunities like this are… Once in a lifetime."
"Indeed." Bill Compton nodded.
"Shall we head home, Olivia?"
Olivia nodded, thanking Jessica for the tour, and the duo headed back to the car. Something wasn't right here. Once in a lifetime opportunity in vampire terms had to be something much more monumental than owning part of a Casino in a small town in Northern Louisiana. Especially for someone who clearly didn't need money. No, whatever Pamela business they discussed had to be far more than anything Pamela and Olivia had talked about so far. The car made tight quick turns, driving home just as fast as they had driven here.
"What the hell just happened back there?" Olivia asked, hand pressed tight over the leather binding of her thigh.
"I was taking care of business."
"Not Casino business."
"Says who?" She countered, not taking her eyes off the road. The silver moonlight shining through the windshield made her white hands glimmer like flower petals.
Olivia's heart was drumming against her chest, her mind spinning with all the possibilities of what Pamela had been scheming. Why didn't she tell Eric where they were going? Why did she send Chow away? Her hands slipped between the layers of her dress, her fingers squeezing around the wood handle.
"I'm not an idiot, Pamela. You didn't need to bring me along for a fucking house tour. What am I really doing here?"
The vampire took a long angry pause. "You cannot seriously be this clueless."
"Answer me!"
Pamela's head jerked towards her, her eyes filled with fury, and she snarled with her fangs. In a swift motion, Olivia swung the sharp wood, stopping the silvertip a hair away from touching Pamela's neck. The vampire raised her chin, frozen in place.
"You can't kill me like this."
"But I can make it hurt. And you know what will happen if you hurt me back."
They drove west down the highway like this for what it felt like a hundred miles. Pamela was stiff as a board, Olivia's arm was aggressively holding the stake near the vampire's neck.
"What did you offer him?" Olivia's voice was quiet but deadly. "What do you have that 'the collector' could possibly want?"
Something inside her shifted. Her brain answered her own question, a small voice that whispered from the deepest and darkest pits of her own fears. No, it can't be. They don't know. They can't know-
"You have to understand something, Olivia," Pamela answered calmly. "I had to. I have to take care of him!"
"Take care of who?"
Take care of him, the flowers said. Eric-
"What did you do?!" Olivia was the farthest thing from quiet now.
"I hesitated! Okay?! That's my big fucking sin!" Pamela's hand squeezed the steering wheel. "I should not have let Chow take you! It should have been me!"
"What the fuck does any of this have to do with Chow?!"
"He wants to leave-"
Lies. "I am not keeping him here. Neither is Eric-"
"You don't fucking know anything!" Pamela yelled. "Chow was fucking exiled from the Kingdom of Hong Kong and he can't go back unless his extremely powerful Maker is killed or worse. That's what he asked, okay?! That is your price, Olivia."
Olivia's brows knitted together, her stomach felt heavy. Her heart had no space to beat in her tight chest. That's what Chow wanted Eric to do? Strike a bargain or kill his own Maker? She didn't have to fully understand the full social-political implications of striking against someone in the Kingdom of Hong Kong to know that was a very bad idea for Eric. Escaping Louisiana, killing a powerful vampire, and making it back without clearly implicating himself sounded like an impossible mission. And if Pamela had gone to these lengths to ensure none of this happened… Eric had accepted the price. Her stomach dropped another inch. But what does that have to do with Bill Compton?
"What does 'the collector' think you have? And how do Chow and Eric fit in any of this? None of it makes any fucking sense."
"You're right. None of this mess makes any fucking sense. There are punishments, and there are punishments - and getting you was definitely a cruel one."
"You know what? Fuck you, Pamela! I've made you more money in the past month than you've made in the past 10 fucking years."
Olivia pulled the stake away from the vampire, fearing she may actually stab her in the neck. She gripped the wood tightly still, laying it on her lap.
"Oh, and I am supposed to be grateful?!"
"Yes, you are supposed to be grateful!"
"I'll be grateful when this Casino is done and I don't have to look at your stupid fucking face anymore, how about that?!"
"Fine!"
"Fine."
Pamela's foot must have the floor of the car because she gave all gas for the rest of the highway. Olivia's blood felt on fire, so full of rage. Thoughts were racing her brain faster than the car. How would visiting Bill Compton stop Eric from moving against the Empire of Hong Kong? And why would Eric accept such an idiot deal? Why would Chow think she was worth that much? No… It can't be. It can't.
The car made an abrupt stop in a quiet street of Shreveport, where all the houses were squished together. From her passenger window, she could see a gated front-yard full of skinny citrus trees, gleaming in the moonlight. Her house.
"Get out." Pamela spoke barely unhinging her jaw.
Olivia unbuckled herself, grabbed the small golden clutch that held her phone and house keys and her hand lunged for the door handle. Then she stopped herself.
That little voice in her voice whispered again. She needed to know. "What do you have that Bill really wants?"
The blonde shook her head, looking straight at her. Her lips were a fine line and her angry blue eyes were shinier than the moon. "I don't have what Bill Compton wants,"
Olivia needed to hear it. She so desperately needed to hear the words coming from someone other than the scared little voice in her head. It can't be, they can't know, she told the voice. She needed the guillotine to drop. Her whole world was slipping away, her whole reality was spiraling out of control. Everything she had ever worked for, every rule she had created and followed to the best of her abilities. All the walls she had built around herself, shutting everyone out.
"But Chow does."
They know what I am.
And just like that - it all came crashing down.
It was a blur. She had mentally prepared for this, running the exact movements through her head every time she couldn't fall asleep. But even still as she shoved random clothes in a duffel bag on the bed, she felt lost. To make matters worse, her fucking phone kept ringing. It was Alcide Herveaux. No, absolutely not. There was only so much she could handle right now, and she had enough problems on her own. She turned her phone off and tossed it in her duffel bag.
Trying to regain focus, she tossed all of her jewelry inside a Hermes bag. She would go to Dallas first, get out of Area 5 as quickly as she possibly could. Then she would sell off her emergency stash and disappear, leaving the vampires no credit trail for them to track. Passport, wallet, phone charger, car keys. Car keys? What if there was a tracker in the Corvette? Damn, if she could sell the car too that would get her further away-
They knew.
God, maybe she should wait until sunrise and catch a ride with Lafayette out of state. His alibi could be that he was making another drop, plus he was important enough no harm would be done to him. But how would she escape Bobby or Samuel? What if they hurt Lafayette? No, she couldn't involve him. She would take the bus or the train, but had to leave right now. Right fucking now while no one watched her. Was someone watching her?
They knew-
He knew.
For how long? And how? What did she do wrong? Where did she make the mistake? Was it her blood? It had to be. What would Bill Compton do to Chow? Olivia abandoned the mess of belongings overflowing the bag and ran down the hallway towards the kitchen. She would yell out into the trees, into the darkness, call for Chow and warn him of what Pamela had done. Did Eric know about this? She found it hard to believe he wouldn't.
There is no behind my back.
Halfway across the kitchen, she heard a noise out front. Her brain was scattered all over the place. There was a knock on the door. Chow? She ran back, ribs starting to hurt from all the erratic breathing. Passing her home office, she remembered she had to get her laptop. There was enough evidence in there to send Eric and Pamela to prison about 71 lifetimes over. She would just mail it to Alcide. His hands may be tied, but he must know someone in the FBI willing to take the evidence.
Mind completely fractured, she didn't think to question the visitor before she unlocked the door. Her brain had already manifested Chow behind the door, even though there was no Escalade parked out front. The bolt turned, the door swung on its hinges. It wasn't Chow Lin. It wasn't Eric, or Pamela either. It was about the last person on Earth she would expect to be standing there, stormy brain waves crashing on itself like thunder.
"Debbie?" She asked, stunned.
Her lips pursed together, her brows furrowed and her eyes cut through her with acidic rage. Her skin looked pale and clammy, and her body twitched with excessive energy she could not control, just like she had when Olivia bailed her out of jail.
"Going somewhere?" The woman blew past her, entering her house like a bull in a China shop.
She knew she was referring to the blue gown she was still wearing, but her confusion had left her a bit stunned. "What are you doing here?"
Her senses reached out to Debbie, receiving a wave of anguish and anger that almost drowned her. She had a thirst in her, a primal drive pushing her off the edge. Debbie was looking for blood.
"I know about everything," Debbie yelled, eyes scanning the room wildly. "Alcide told me what you really account for. And he also told me about the fucking dirty deal you two struck."
"I don't-"
"CUT the bullshit, Olivia! I know you and Alcide have been scheming behind my back to cut me off!"
Olivia froze in place. "We were trying to help you-"
"I didn't fucking ASK FOR YOUR HELP!"
Her face was burning hot, and her feet were planted on the spot. She had no idea what to say or do. Debbie started roaming the living room, like a caged animal.
Her lungs took a deep breath that went nowhere. There was no air in the room. "I freed you! How can you not see that?!"
"Freed me? Interesting choice of words," she snarled. There was so much pain in her eyes. "I remember everything now. I remember you getting out of jail and dropping me off the bar. You know how long it took me to get my hands on drugs after I realized you took off? How's that for freedom?"
Olivia knew it was a rhetorical question, but the answer was still lodged in her throat like a fist.
And she didn't stop either. "So imagine my surprise when I found out it was also you who cut me off."
"You don't have to work for vampires anymore! You don't have to spy on Alcide or the pack." Debbie's lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes burned darkly of anger. Debbie did not know Olivia knew. "I didn't tell him. He doesn't know that's what you're doing when you show up at his house drunk or high and crying for him to take care of you. I didn't tell him that you go through his cellphone and laptop while he sleeps then run off to tell everything to Pamela in exchange for vamp blood. I freed you from that, how can you not see it?!"
"Fuck off! No," she shook her head, tears in her eyes. "You don't get to be the hero in this. Now where is it? I know you got some."
She spun on her heels and threw off all the couch cushions on the floor. She pushed off all her clutter off the coffee table, and then went through her bookcase like a hurricane.
"It's not here!" Olivia pleaded.
"The fuck it isn't!"
She stormed off straight into her kitchen and Olivia followed her, catching a glimpse of her duffle bag sitting on her bed. She didn't have time for this, for any of this! It hit her like a slap in the face - Alcide knew Debbie was coming here. All those calls, he was trying to warn her. Where the fuck was he?
"I don't have any blood in the house, Debbie!"
"And I don't believe a word you fucking say."
"I have nothing to gain from lying to you!"
But she didn't listen. Liv wondered if she could physically fight her, or even defend herself. Debbie was a werewolf, much stronger than she was. Wait - wasn't tonight a full moon? Maybe all she had to do was to stall Debbie long enough until Alcide got here. But how long? Olivia had to run, there was no time-
She watched the wolf open the fridge first, hoping for bags of juicy blood. But all she had in there was mayo, some jam, a bottle of sriracha, a container of hummus, and a bag of old soggy salad. Frustrated and disappointed and immediately shut the door with such force the door handle snapped off.
"I'm so sick and tired of everyone meddling with my fucking life!"
"I'm sorry!" Olivia yelled at the sound of pots and lids crashing on the floor. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I thought I was helping you!"
Debbie was emptying the contents of every cupboard on the floor, breaking every dish she owned in the process. "The same way Alcide was trying to help you away from Eric?"
The two women locked eyes for a long pause. Olivia knew how condescending it felt having Alcide try to save her from her own life. She had even used it against him. So why would she think that freeing Debbie would have felt any different? Cutting her off without warning was just as cruel as using her. Debbie had no choice in either. She was just used as a pawn on both sides of the coin.
"That was different."
Debbie did not buy it. "The fuck it was."
"I told you I don't have vampire blood here! I never did, I don't-" take it. Except when she did.
Her pupils suddenly went almost black, the blue forming only a thin rim around her eyes. There was a noise outside, a shuffling in her neighbor's magnolia tree. Oh no. Olivia could see it all unfold right in front of her eyes, moments before it happened. Chow had sensed her distress and came to check on her. Debbie, hungry for vampire blood, would attack him. He would fight back. Debbie would die. Alcide and the Shreveport pack would retaliate. It was going to be all her fault.
The kitchen door swung open and Chow entered, eyes focused on Debbie with the cold intensity of a glacier.
"Well, well, well," Debbie sneered. "Ask and you shall receive."
"Debbie don't!" Olivia implored. She couldn't watch this. "Just walk away, please-"
But it was too late. Debbie lunged across the room as her eyes went fully black. There were sounds of bone-breaking, her skin thinned out and fur sprouted on her neck and arms. Her legs stretched, and she became two feet taller. When she landed on Chow's chest, she had doubled in size. Her clothes had torn away, revealing black fur on her back, fading into brown tips. She became a wolf.
"Olivia run!" Chow roared. "It's a full moon, she stronger-" Debbie's jaw snapped and snarled inches away from his face. "Just run!"
The wooden sake. It's the only thought in her brain - it was still strapped to her thigh. Olivia reached for it and stabbed the wolf on the ribs. Debbie let out a painful howl and turned her jaws to her. Chow jumped on her back wrapping his arm around her neck. Her teeth were snapping at her violently. There was no room in the kitchen for the three of them, not when Debbie was this big. Trying to get away, Olivia slipped on a colander and her back hit the stove. She scuttled to the corner, watching the wolf and Chow wrestle to the death in the middle of her kitchen.
The wolf bit Chow's forearm, blood dripped between her sharp teeth. Her eyes widened. Oh no. The vampire grunted, pushing the animal against the wooden cabinet. The door caved in as if it were made out of styrofoam.
"You have to stab her in the heart-" Chow grunted, barely managing to get the words out before Debbie lunged at him again. Both their bodies knocked her kitchen chairs out like bowling pins. Debbie had Chow's forearm locked between her teeth, chewing it like a toy.
Olivia jumped on top of them again, driving the silver-tipped wooden stake into the fur. She stabbed the wolf over and over again. Warm wolf blood stained the fur, splashed on her dress and face. She kept hitting something hard - bone. The stake was not sharp enough to pierce through it, and Olivia wasn't strong enough to push it deeper than a couple of inches.
The wolf kicked with its hind leg, claws making a gash on Olivia's thigh, making her stumble three steps back. Her skin burned. Debbie didn't even look back, she was far more preoccupied gnawing on Chow's arm. The pokes on her back were nothing more than an annoying nuisance. Chow's legs kicked under the animal, his only free hand punched the wolf in the stomach. The vampire was lodged between the wall and Debbie, with no way out.
Pushing the pain away, Olivia thought of something else. A knife! She had to have something sharper here. The kitchen had been destroyed. While looking for V, Debbie had pulled out the drawer where she kept knives and emptied it on the floor. It was somewhere in the pile of cans, pots, and broken glass. Fuck! Plan B-
"Here!" Olivia shouted, tossing the stake under Debbie's leg.
The wood skidded across the floor, landing just under the vampire's armpit. Chow had a much better angle being underneath her to get to her heart. With a roar, Debbie's large wolf head turned and sunk down further. Her teeth tore through flesh and bone. She thought the wolf had gotten to his shoulder. Olivia wished that she had.
But Debbie Pelt's jaws snapped down Chow's neck, severing it off his body completely. Olivia felt a cold snap inside her. Something was torn away violently. No later than a heartbeat after, his body disintegrated. His flesh no longer held together and he turned into a pool of crimson under the animal in her kitchen.
"NO!" Olivia screamed, still feeling ice on her skin.
The wolf's belly went from brown to red, her tongue quickly feeding on every drop of Chow that laid under her paws, like a famished animal.
"No!" Olivia let out a deep guttural scream. Chow was gone. "No!"
Olivia picked up a metal frying pan and whacked on the lower back of the wolf. "Stop!"
Her back legs gave out momentarily, but Debbie was too enthralled in savagely eating the remains of her vampire guardian to care. Olivia hit the large wolf over and over again. It was nothing like breaking a car with a bat. There was no release. Chow was dead and no matter much she hit this fucking animal, he would not come back. He had died for his final time because of her.
Suddenly Debbie stopped, but not because of anything Olivia was doing. Her blood-soaked snout pointed at the living room with a pause, then she dashed out the kitchen door, leaving bloody paw prints and a wake of pure destruction behind her. Olivia dropped to her knees, staring at the pool of blood and flesh in front of her. That had been a person, a person who came to aid her. Her body gave out, leaning against the broken fridge door, still gripping the frying pan. Olivia didn't even hear another set of paws come from her left. Another animal had walked in - a white-furred wolf with bright yellow eyes. Stormy eyes. She instantly recognized him.
The wolf let out a tiny whimper, sniffing her knees. Her gown was covered in blood, but none of it was hers.
"She killed a vampire," a warning came out of her. "She killed a vampire, Alcide. You have to run."
Olivia felt broken as if everything that happened tonight had been her fault. As if these events had been inevitable. Looking away from Chow's remains, she locked eyes with the white wolf. She didn't know why, after everything that happened tonight, she was still looking out for him. The two of them had an entire conversation in silence, while Olivia took big breaths that did not fill her lungs. Alcide had to find Debbie before Eric did. He was going to kill her. A life for a life always has, and always will be the holiest gospel of a vampire.
The wolf let out a small growl and dashed out the back door, following the bloody prints into the darkness of her yard. She saw a blur of white fur jump over the fence and he was gone. It was just her now.
It was just her. And the vampire she got killed.
That was the real price of her blood.
There was blood everywhere before he even stepped in. He knew something was wrong the second Chow abruptly left common court. He would have followed him immediately but he, unfortunately, had Sherriff business to take care of. All the blood would have concerned him, but the only thought in his mind was that this was not her blood. It smelled of death - of a vampire. Of Chow.
It also smelled of wolves.
Following the red trail, Eric slowly entered the kitchen through the backdoor, taking in nothing but her. Olivia was pale and frozen, cowered on the floor of her small kitchen, holding a frying pan covered in blood against her chest like shieldmaiden. She was wearing a very different dress than earlier in the evening - and if memory served him correctly, this was one of Pamela's dresses. Why would she have to dress up to make business calls? More and more questions popped into his mind, but they had to wait. Olivia had blood all over her arms, chest and face, and he could now faintly smell sweet golden honey too. He had to take care of her first.
"Are you hurt?" He approached her, trying not to make sudden movements. Her eyes were fixed on the explosion of red across the room. Eric was well acquainted with what happened to a vampire's body when he met the true death. There was nothing to bury. He felt a pain in his chest at the loss of his friend, despite them not being on the best of terms at the time of his demise. But Chow had died trying to protect her. There was nothing more honorable.
He crouched near the strange woman on the kitchen floor. He had never seen her like this - petrified.
"Olivia?" He called out her name again. "Are you hurt?"
She snapped her gaze at him as if she only realized now he was there. Still using the pan as a shield, she scooted away from him, further into the corner of her kitchen, kicking a bunch of Tupperware containers in the process.
"Olivia, it's me," he frowned. Why was she so afraid of him? She had never been afraid of him, even when he gave her good reasons to be. "Who did this?"
Her eyes fixed on him. "You know," she whispered it like a secret.
"Know what?" He asked. There was definitely something wrong. "I can smell wolves. Do you know who? What colors were their furs?"
It was a fucking full moon. Werewolves would be stronger than most vampires tonight. And Eric knew from the many whispers down the vines that the long tooth pack leader Patrick Furnan would have good reason to retaliate against vampires. There were talks about the commissioner giving Furnan the Casino deal for months now. He had applied for it in the spring, and the green light was pending on the elections. Pamela and Olivia had stolen right from under his nose. Eric was expecting retribution, but he thought Pamela and himself would be the target, and not her. And certainly, he wasn't expecting to be this fast. The contract was just signed hours ago.
"It was…" a tiny voice came out of a broken breath. "It was Debbie Pelt. She killed him for his blood."
Eric clenched his jaw shut. He felt rage simmer in his blood. He had a lost good enforcer, a good employee, and most importantly - a friend - because of that fucking junkie. Because Alcide Hervaux couldn't control his own fucking bitch. Death would meet her soon enough. Debbie Pelt would die, and anyone protecting her would die with her.
"Did she bite or scratch you?" He asked, fighting the urge of taking her in his arms. She looked so small it scared him.
Her brown eyes looked at him differently. He could swear they had gotten darker, and sharper. Other than shivering, Olivia did not move, remaining shrunken on the corner of the kitchen.
"Olivia-"
"Her back claw caught my leg," she lifted the fabric on her left leg, exposing four rugged lines on her thigh, glistening dark crimson, blood oozing down her knees. Her voice was still barely a murmur.
"I would offer you my blood-"
Her eyes went wide. "No."
"I know." That was a bit more like the Olivia he knew. "I would offer it, but vampire blood does not heal damage dealt by werewolves. It's what makes them so dangerous, even for us."
Her shoulders slumped down a bit. He couldn't tell if she was disappointed or relieved.
"We have to clean it. They tend to get infected. Come," he extended his hand to her slowly.
Those big bright eyes full of terror studied him for a long time. There was something different in her. Maybe it was the shock of watching someone die. Maybe she lost someone she was attached to. But Eric was here. She was his responsibility again. He would protect her. He knew it was selfish and definitely wrong to be happy about this, but having the edict of protection under his command again gave him purpose. Eric would rather set the world on fire than let something like this happen to her again. Slowly, Olivia lowered the blood-smeared frying pan, letting it go.
"Did you try to bludgeon a werewolf to death with a frying pan?"
Her small warm hand took his. "The wooden stake didn't work."
Eric had to hold back his laughter. Where the hell had she gotten a stake? And for what? He gently helped her up. Olivia winced once she put the weight down on her left leg, but she still tried to make her way out of her destroyed kitchen. He knew if he asked, she would say no, so he just did it anyway. He bent down and scooped her body with his arms. He expected her to protest, but she didn't. Her whole body relaxed in his arms. Her eyes looked down at her own arms, avoiding his gaze.
Eric carefully stepped over casserole dishes and pots scattered all over the kitchen floor and walked towards her bathroom. "You have a lot of kitchen stuff for someone who doesn't cook."
"I know," she said, a bit more alert now that she wasn't facing Chow's remains. "It came with my old apartment."
Things in her living room were not that much different. Shit was tossed everywhere as if a literal hurricane went through her house. Eric gently lowered over her fluffy bathroom rug. He delicately zipped down her dress, undressing her. Blood had soaked through the body of her dress, staining her soft skin. Once the fabric pooled on the floor, Eric discovered the most fascinating piece of undergarment on her other leg.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or is that a stake holster on your thigh?"
She reached down and undid the buckle, letting the leather piece also fall on the floor. "I don't trust Pamela."
No shit. Eric did not think for a second Olivia would have successfully killed Pamela, of all vampires, if she tried. She was extremely intelligent, stubborn, and even strong - but she was not a trained vampire hunter. He should also get to the bottom of why Olivia wouldn't trust his progeny, especially after the two of them seemed to have gone on a secret mission after he left for common court.
Eric turned the shower on and helped her get inside. The water on the floor of the tub immediately turned pink. He told her to sit down in the shower to get the weight off her leg. Without words or eye contact, she slowly made her way down. Eric took off his leather jacket, hanging it on a towel hook. He grabbed a pink shower pouf hanging in her shower then squirted a generous amount of strawberry mint body wash on it. He kneeled beside the tub and gently started scrubbing all the blood off her. She was in pretty good shape - other than the scratch on her thigh, there were just some bruises on her back.
Olivia just looked down without saying a word. She stared at all the blood swirling down the drain. He knew where her mind went. He had been there more times than he could remember.
"It wasn't your fault," he said. "He knew the risks and chose to keep you anyway."
"How could he have possibly known-"
"He did," Eric made circles on her back. "Don't waste another breath blaming yourself."
Olivia was covered in white soap bubbles, as he had definitely put way too much of the girly soap on the sponge. There were clouds of it fluttering inside the shower. When it came time for the wound, he used a handful of bubbles to massage the gash. Her body jolted for a second, but she settled again.
Next, he grabbed shampoo and conditioner and cleaned her hair. It was odd that she let him do all of that. It was even odder that she hadn't fought him, or argued. She was still just small. Olivia was many things, but never small. Seeing her hurt like this was far worse than watching her give herself away. He started finger-combing her ponytail, sleek with conditioner.
"I was trying to save her," she whispered.
And now Chow was dead for it. "I know."
"I was doing the very thing I hated you for. I thought she was weak and needed-"
"I don't think you are weak."
If anything, he was. He couldn't lose her.
"I should have left her alone," she sighed. "I should have let her destroy herself."
And silence emerged again. If there was a poetic moral of the story here, Eric would not be one to say it. Once he finished rinsing her hair, helped her out of the shower, and wrapped her in a towel. Her hair looked longer and darker when wet. The slash on her thigh was still raw but not bleeding, but it was deep enough it may need stitches.
"I'll go pack you some clothes. You'll spend the night at my place while my cleaning lady fixes up your place. Believe me or not, this is not the messiest house she's cleaned for me." She nodded, looking like a ghost. He didn't want to leave her lost and without a task, so he gave her something to do. "Also, you may want to use some makeup remover. You look like a raccoon."
She nodded. When Olivia reached for a cotton pad on her bathroom counter, Eric spun around but something warm caught his forearm on his way out. Her hand.
"Thank you," she whispered, still not looking at him.
Why won't she look at him? Her warm hand let go and she turned around in the mirror. Eric did not know who that was, but he had a gut feeling there was more to Debbie Pelt and Chow on her mind right now. Once he put Olivia to sleep, he would summon Pamela immediately.
Entering her room, he could tell right away whatever happened out there did not happen here. But something had. Something different. There was a purse and a leather duffel bag on her bed. Yes, it would be the perfect bag to pack an overnight bag.
Too perfect.
Eric's fingers opened the bag and purse, peeking its contents. Clothes, diamonds, jewelry, her phone… Her passport. He felt a tightness in his chest that he thought would consume him. The world had come to a stand still.
"Eric?" Olivia called out, entering the bedroom. He didn't know how long he was staring at the bags packed in front of him.
He turned around and asked what he did not want to know. What broke him all over again. "You were leaving?"
A.N
I hope this chapter has FED you everything you ever wanted! We got secret schemes, betrayals, consequences, hurt/comfort, Olivia and Eric facing the TRUTH and DEATH!
RIP Chow. You've been a good one.
As always, leave a comment, much love xoxo