Chapter 25

Eric glamoured Emily and she followed them through the casino to the elevator up to see Felipe. The King was waiting for them in the doorway. Sookie was glad and disappointed he was there and, apparently, available. He looked annoyed.

"Leave the woman."

They dropped Emily off in the lobby and she was led away by the human receptionist. Sookie turned her head to watch them go while she and Eric made their way into Felipe's office. The King's expression had smoothed out by the time he sat in his chair behind the desk. He gestured at the seats across from him and Sookie and Eric each took one. He looked at his watch.

"I'm surprised you two caught me. I was just taking a bit of a break. Now, why are you here interrupting it? I was going to get to you eventually."

Not a great way to start the meeting. Eric opened his mouth to answer but Sookie beat him to it. She apologized and then gave Felipe a run-down of what she'd gleaned from Emily's thoughts and memories.

"I got everything from her I could, your Highness. I didn't find a smoking gun. There was just too much wiped away. I went at it every which way I could and there wasn't anything left to get."

Felipe grunted.

Sookie swallowed.

"Johnny looked surprised when I called him out on the casino floor. I don't think it was Sandy trying to screw Victor over, Victor trying to screw me over, or someone trying to screw you over. I'm pretty sure Johnny thought he was working with Victor to help you."

Felipe studied her.

"It would bother you, wouldn't it? Even though he's Vampire. It would bother you if he met with an unjust end."

She raised one shoulder.

"Yes and no, your Majesty."

"Yes and no. Why yes?"

She gave the half shrug again.

"Just like you said. Because, in this context, it might be unjust. Unfair."

"Neither life nor death is fair, Sookie. If anyone knows that, it should be you."

Sookie couldn't argue with that.

He continued, "And no because he's Vampire?"

She shook her head.

"No, because he's a child molester."

Felipe laughed. It was almost warm.

"This is where you tip your hand every time, Sookie. You can almost always pretend to be above it all when you're only worried about yourself but the mask slips when other people are involved. People and vampires, it seems. Your heart betrays you. You know, you can't have it both ways. You can't give a shit if you don't give a shit."

She couldn't argue with that, either, but having him call out her weakness wasn't helping her keep her shit together.

"Thank you, your Majesty. I'll keep that in mind."

Felipe laughed again and looked at Eric.

"See what I mean? So sassy. I just can't help but enjoy her spirit."

Felipe looked back at Sookie

"The vampire said he'd been doing little jobs for Sandy for years. Cooking the casino's books. Laundering money. Enforcement. And now he's working for Victor, too."

Sookie nodded.

"Sandy and Victor have been working together for a while. Doing what, I don't know. Johnny was supposed to do a job tonight for Victor that Victor didn't want Sandy to know about."

Felipe leaned back in his chair and the red silk lining of his cape peeked through.

"Johnny told me he'd just been here to test your abilities. Victor called him three nights ago to come to Las Vegas. He wanted to prove you were a fraud. He said Victor had him glamour the girl to think, 'Can you hear me?' over and over again whenever he squeezed her hand."

"That certainly isn't Felipe DeCastro will pay."

But everything she'd told him had been confirmed by Johnny, right from the start. Why had the King lied to her and made her think he didn't believe her? Just to fuck with her head? As an excuse to beat her again? To keep her on edge, always fearing the worst was right around the corner? To try to protect Victor? She was angry and unnerved.

But, she supposed, she did find out information about Sandy she might have missed if Felipe hadn't pushed her. She wondered if that had been by design. It reminded her why Felipe DeCastro was King. She needed to remember not to underestimate his mind.

Felipe said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short. Johnny and I must continue our talk. There are many things I still need to learn."

Sookie sat up a little straighter.

"What about the woman, your Highness? Emily? What's going to happen to her? Is she going to be able to go home soon?"

Felipe stared at her for a long time. He gave nothing away. Finally, he said, "For tonight, I was planning to put her up in the same room in case we need her again tomorrow. I assume that's alright with you?"

Shit.

"Of course, your Majesty."

She paused.

"And then she'll go home?"

Felipe's sighed.

"Yes, Sookie. And then she will be glamoured and allowed to go home."

Sookie swallowed hard, but she really wanted to do this. For Emily. But for herself, too. It was risky as hell, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

"Your Highness, Emily has a dog…"

Felipe rolled his eyes and cut her off.

"Fine. I will make sure it is safe until she is returned home. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, your Majesty. Thank you."

And she really was. Sort of.

They both stood when Felipe did and Sookie thought maybe they would get away unscathed.

Felipe said, "We'll meet you downstairs shortly, Eric."

No such luck.

Eric and Sookie looked at each other before Eric stepped into the elevator and Felipe closed the office door. When she looked back at him, he was grinning at her.

"Have anything to say, Sookie?"

"No, your Majesty."

"Good. Very good…"

He stood in front of her and reached for his belt and watched her. Her expression didn't change and she began to kneel before him. He slapped her across the mouth instead.

"You've let your heart lead you astray again. And not just because of the vampire and his woman. I see how you look at him."

"I'm sorry, your Majesty."

He looked at her, expressionless again, and cupped her face. He smeared her lipstick with his thumb. It hurt.

"Miss Stackhouse, despite everything, I don't think you are."

She followed him into the elevator and they rode down silently. When the doors opened, Eric's eyes went to her swollen and smudged red lips and he swallowed.

Felipe smiled. His good humour was back.

"Go to your other master, Sookie."

"Yes, your Highness."

She left the elevator and stood beside Eric. She took his hand, whether she was radiating weakness or not.

Eric didn't smell Felipe on her and was very relieved.

Felipe said, "Excuse me. I have an appointment I simply must keep."

He pushed a button and continued downstairs to the rooms only accessible by Felipe's elevator. When the doors closed, Eric and Sookie both relaxed a little. They quietly walked through the casino, rode up to their floor, and then went to their room, hand in hand.

They undressed and climbed into bed. She snuggled up against his side and he put his arm around her and pulled her in close to kiss her forehead. She shivered a little at his cool lips and body but then snuggled in a little closer and took a deep breath through her nose. He smelled good.

She sighed.

"What's the matter, Sookie?"

She laughed a little and it sounded bitter.

"Felipe is right. I've shown way too much weakness the past few nights. To him, and to everyone else, besides.

He chuckled.

"Felipe doesn't respect you any less because of your humanity, Sookie. If anything, he admires you for still having it. You may have heard the King calling out your perceived weaknesses but I saw one impressed by how much of yourself you can hide, despite everything you've been through. By how you speak up for others who can't speak up for themselves, despite whatever torture might befall you because of it. By how you still have the capacity to love and care and feel after all you've been through. That you haven't been broken."

She snorted but didn't reply further.

"As for the others, every single vampire in Nevada is afraid of Felipe DeCastro. Myself and Victor Madden included. We would be fools not to be. He is very old, he is very strong, and he is the King of Nevada, Louisiana, and Arkansas. He has several personal guards and an army at his command. He is incredibly powerful. We are all at his mercy. And you… You stand up to him more than anyone."

"But…"

"No buts, Sookie. They all saw what he did to you the other night. Some of them wouldn't have taken that beating half as well as you did. All of them would have skulked away from him in the first few days afterwards. Hell, some skulk in fear, regardless. Nobody thinks you're weak, Sookie. Not for your fear and not for your empathy. You are incredibly strong and resilient, and everyone knows it. Even the King. That is why so many of them hate you. You make them look weak in comparison. It is also why so many are in love with you, and why others are afraid. A great number of them can't decide which side they fall on. But, regardless, they all respect you, even if some of them would never admit it to themselves."

Sookie looked pissed and propped herself up on her elbow.

"What a load of bullshit. They have done disgusting, dehumanizing, degrading things to me over and over and over again while a live audience laughed and cheered and waited for their own chance to damage and degrade and dehumanize me some more. It has been my entire life from the time I got here until a few days ago. Their very own fucktoy they take out and play with however they please and then put away until they want to play again tomorrow. Respect my ass."

He sighed.

"You don't see what I see. You're different and everyone knows it, Sookie. In a thousand years, I have never met another human who behaves as you do around vampires. Who treats us the way you do. Not like the fools who underestimate us while they overestimate their own strength or power or desirability or importance. Not like the ones who grovel before us in fear, or want to end us all because of it. Not like the ones who want us for the thrill or the money or the power or the prestige or to fulfill a kink or just because they want to die. You understand what we are capable of, much better than most humans. You don't underestimate us, only yourself. You don't use us or cower in fear at our feet. And, strangely enough, you don't think we should all be finally killed, despite what you've been through at the hands of my kind. You don't treat us as human. Not really. You know the differences very well. And still, you treat us as… individuals, rather than a monolith. You take us as we are."

She snorted again.

"For better or for worse."

He rolled to face her and she burrowed in closer. Her nose was tucked in the hollow of his throat and his nose was in her hair. He kissed the top of her head and she shivered again. Snuggling up against a new part of his body was like laying her head on the cool side of the pillow. She began to stroke his back and run her fingers through his hair and pepper his neck and chest with kisses. She needed this to push all the ugliness away. She needed him.

They made love and made love again and, after, she lay in his arms, boneless. She sighed happily and he kissed the top of her head. She propped herself up on her elbow again and smiled at him.

"Hi."

He smiled back.

"Hello."

Her smile widened.

They both spoke at once.

"I love you."