Chapter 24

It was raining in earnest by the time five o'clock rolled around. Diantha appeared at my desk, her freshly dyed electric pink hair dripping in wet ringlets, her cropped leather jacket slick with rain.

"Where have you been?" I asked, gladly setting aside my work. A stress headache had set in behind my right eye, and it was threatening to be a good one.

"Served a couple subpoenas. You ready to go home?"

"I have more work."

"I don't think he'll care." She nodded towards Mr. C's door, where he now stood, making a shooing motion at me with his hand. I clenched my jaw and gave my head a little shake. What was I going to do at home? Pace around nervously? Wait for a call from Eric or Amelia to tell me the result of their investigations? Wait to hear another innocent victim had died?

After Amelia and I had made our little discovery, her good mood evaporated, and she'd rushed back to the office in order to arrange her staff to continuously track the changeling in the conjuring room. She said she was going to put a team together of her best witches to brainstorm how to catch or trap the changeling. She was also going to inform Fernanda, so the leader of the New Orleans' pack could contact the weres in Diamond and put them on high alert.

Fear had been set to a constant roiling simmer in my stomach, and despite the headache, I was relieved for the distraction work provided. Relieved to be inside the safe confines of the office. Relieved to sink myself into the subdued soundtrack of office hubbub intersperses with the minds of the staff at work, who were for the most part lost in the troubles of their own ordinary lives. My necklace had been tucked away until further notice.

"I've got a boatload of work to catch up on," I said.

"Who cares? It's not going anywhere." She closed the manila folder I had open on my desk and tossed it into my plastic in-tray. "Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee are waiting for you outside."

"Who?"

"Your shadows for this evening." I caught a glimpse from her mind of the two bodyguards who'd shadowed me those weeks ago. "We'll order in," Diantha said.

Mr. C was looking at me insistently now.

"Fine." I knew a lost cause when I saw one. I sighed and logged out. I closed my laptop and began packing away my things.

We stepped out into a cloud of misty rain and gloom. My umbrella was a useless prop as the rain seemed to be coming from all directions. That was New Orleans for you. We made our way through the after-work crowds on the streetcars. I showered and got into my pajamas at home, keeping the cordless home phone close by. I was still without a cell until further notice.

Diantha ordered delivery pizza and went up to shower. I sat on the couch staring mindlessly at whatever was playing on television, and when the phone did finally ring, I dove across the couch to answer it.

It was Danny. "I'm used to it going straight to your answering machine," he joked.

"Sorry," I said. I felt like a broken record. A broken record of a terrible girlfriend. "This past weekend has been hellish." Literally, if you counted my foray into the demon realm.

"That's fine, work is killing me this week anyway. I'm not much of a companion at the moment. I just wanted to hear your voice."

I softened and smiled. "There's pizza here. Diantha and I just ordered in. If you can drag yourself away from your desk you can still grab a slice?"

"Of you or pizza?"

I laughed now. "I make no promises, counsel."

An incoming call began to beep over Danny's response.

"I gotta go, hon. Just come if you can. We'll be up for a little while yet." I hung up and answered the incoming call. "Amelia?"

"Sookie! We're just about to leave now."

"Where are you?"

"At the Shadow Run pack headquarters! Getting on some crazy chopper with the President Alpha. You should see it! They've assembled a huge team. It'll be fine. Just sit tight!" Her words were first muffled and then drowned out by the background sounds of the helicopter and then the call abruptly cut out. I suspected she'd hung up. The gravity of the situation settled like a brick in my stomach. I was glad to stay holed up inside at home with my big burly guards outside, with the doors locked, wards in place, and wait until I heard from the others that things were safe.

Pizza arrived. I'd ordered extra for the two were guards stationed outside our front door. They accepted it without much outward response but were secretly thrilled.

I ate a couple slices before tramping upstairs to knock on the bathroom door. The shower was still running.

"Food's here!" I called. There was no answer. I knocked again and opened the door a crack.

"Diantha...?"

I pushed the door all the way open and froze. Diantha was collapsed in a heap on the floor, her towel beside her. Blood oozed from a bump on her head. A firm hand on my shoulder stopped me from helping her.

"Leave her. She's fine."

I turned slowly and felt the blood drain from my face. Even though I'd just seen Diantha lying on the floor unconscious behind me, I was now looking at Diantha.

"Hello, Sookie."

A/N: I won't leave you hanging. The next chapter will be posted within the hour.