Page 10 (1/2)

Alcide changed to some boots he had in the truck, and he shed his tie and coat Jannalynn wisely took off her spike-heeled sandals and Annabelle her own ave them both some sneakers of mine, and I offered Jannalynn an old T-shirt to cover her shiny silver dress so it wouldn&039;t snag in the woods She pulled it over her head She even said, "Thanks," though she didn&039;t sound actually grateful I retrieved two shovels from the toolshed Alcide took one shovel, Eric the other Jason carried one of those great big flashlights called a lantern that he&039;d fished out of the toolbox on his truck The lantern was for my benefit The vampires could see perfectly well in the dark, and the Weres could see very well, too Since Jason was a werepanther, he had excellent night vision I was the blind one in the group

"Do we knohere we&039;re going?" Annabelle said

"Heidi said it was due east, close to the streaed eastward I kept running into stuff, and after a while Eric handed off his shovel to Jason and crouched so I could cling to his back I kept my head tucked behind his so branches wouldn&039;t hit ress was smoother after that

"I smell it," Jannalynn said suddenly She was out ahead of us all, as if her job in the pack were to make the way clear for the packleader She was a different woh I couldn&039;t see very well, I could see that She was quick, sure-footed, and decisive She darted ahead, and after a ot there to find her standing over a patch of dirt in a little clearing It had been disturbed recently, though an attee that disturbance

Eric eased round, and Jason shone the lantern at the earth "It&039;s not?" I whispered, knowing everyone there could hear me

"No," Eric said firmly "Too recent" Not Debbie Pelt She was elsewhere, in an older grave

"Only one way to find out who it is," Alcide said Jason and Alcide began to dig, and since they were both very strong, it went quickly Alexei carave in the woods had to be a bad flashback for hih I noticed that Appius gave ers, especially Jason I knew this child could dig the grave with his bare hands as fast as they were digging with shovels, but Alexei looked so frail it was hard to think of hi as other vampires I wondered how many people had made that mistake in the past few decades, and how many of those had died at Alexei&039;s small hands

Jason and Alcide could make the dirt fly While they worked, Annabelle and Jannalynn prowled around the little clearing, probably trying to pick up what scents they could Despite the rain of two nights ago, therein the areas protected by the trees Heidi hadn&039;t been looking for atothat the only creatures who hadn&039;t been troular old hu, a Were could be the killer Or it could be one of the fae, ere a violent race, as I had observed Or the killer could be Bill, since Heidi thought the vahbor

I hadn&039;t smelled the body while it was under the dirt as the others had, since my sense of srew and the hole got deeper, I could tell it was there Oh gosh, could I

I put my hand across ine how the others were enduring it, since it would be so much sharper to their senses Maybe they were also gers stopped "He&039;s wrapped up," Jason said Alcide bent over and fuot it pulled apart," Alcide said after a moment

"Pass me the lantern, Sookie," Jason said, and I tossed it to him He shone it down "I don&039;t know this e voice Annabelle and Jannalynn were at the edge of the grave instantly I had to brace nized him instantly The three Weres threw back their heads and howled

"It&039;s the Long Tooth enforcer," I told the vao on "It&039;s Basireat difference, but I knew him instantly Those corkscrew curls I&039;d envied, thewas done

And that about summed it up

When the Weres had calmed down, there was a lot to talk about

"I only ot in the truck with Alcide and Annabelle"

"He told me what he&039;d smelled on the property, and I told hiht to know We didn&039;t talk about anything in particular on the way back to Shreveport, did we, Annabelle?"

"No," she said, and I could tell she was crying

"I dropped hio withwith our representative, he said he had to pass because he had to work He was a website designer, and he had awith an io, but of course, the guy had to ed

Annabelle said, "He didn&039;t have to work that day"

There was a moment of silence

"I was at his apartment when you called," she said, and I could tell the effort she was expending to keep her voice calm and level "I had been there a few hours"

Wow Unexpected revelation Jason had hopped out of the grave, and he and I gave each other big eyes This was like one of Gran&039;s "stories," the soap operas she&039;d watched religiously

Alcide growled The ritual howling for the dead had brought out the wolf in him

"I know," Annabelle said "And we&039;ll talk about it later I&039;ll take my punishment, which I deserve But Basiot a phone call before yours, and he didn&039;t want h to understand his conversation ith sorowl intensified Jannalynn was standing close to her pack sister, and the only way I can put it was that she was aihtly, her hands curved as if they were about to sprout claws

Alexei had edged close to Jason, and when the tension kept ratcheting up, Jason&039;s ar the sa illusion and reality that I was

Annabelle flinched at the sound co "So Basiet me out of the apartment, and he took off I tried to follow him, but I lost him"

"You were suspicious," Jannalynn said "But you didn&039;t call the packmaster You didn&039;t call me You didn&039;t call anyone We took you in and made you a member of our pack, and you betrayed us" Suddenly, she hit Annabelle in the head with her fist, actually leaping into the air to land the blow Just like that, Annabelle was on the ground I gasped, and I wasn&039;t the only one

But I was the only one who noticed that Jason was straining to hold Alexei back So about the violence in the air had sent the boy over the edge If he&039;d been a little bigger, Jason would&039;ve been on the ground I punched Eric in the arle Eric leaped over to help Jason restrain the boy, who fought and snarled in their ar as everyone watched Alexei struggle with his madness Appius Livius looked profoundly sad He worked his way into the knot of limbs and wrapped his own arms around his child "Sshhhhhh," he said "My son, be still" And gradually Alexei grew quiet

Alcide&039;s voice was very close to a rumble when he said, "Jannalynn, you are et up This is pack business now, and we&039;ll settle it at a pack

The Weres were si to walk out of the woods and drive away "Excuse me," I said sharply "There&039;s the littleburied on nificant about that"

The Weres stopped walking

Eric said, "Yes" The one word carried a lot of weight "Alcide, I believe Sookie and I need to sit in on your pack "

"Only pack members," Jannalynn snapped "No oneys, no deaders" She was still as small as ever, but with her field proer in spirit She was a ruthless little thing, no doubt about it I thought Sahty foolish

"Alcide?" Eric said quietly

"Sookie can bring Jason, since he&039;s two-natured," Alcide growled "She&039;s a oney, but she&039;s a friend of the pack No valanced at my brother "Jason, will you accompany your sister?"

"Sure," Jason said

So it was settled Out of the corner of er to her feet and reorient herself Jannalynn packed a wallop

"What are you going to do with the body?" I called after Alcide, as definitelyout "Do you want us to cover him back up or what?"

Annabelle took a hesitant step after Jannalynn and Alcide That was going to be a happy ride back to Shreveport "Soht," Jannalynn called over her shoulder "So there&039;ll be activity in your woods Don&039;t be alar from one corner of her mouth I felt the vampires come to attention In fact, Alexei stepped away from Jason and would have followed her if Appius Livius hadn&039;t kept his grip on the boy

"Should we cover hiet him, that seelad you sent Heidi Otherwise " I thought hard "Listen, if he was buried on ht? So there&039;s no telling when so for hi was Jason, who said, "Okay, we got to get hi ot to put him somewhere," I said "We could just set him in the cemetery!"

"Naw, too close," Jason said

"What about the pond behind your house?" I said

"Naw, daain"

"Aaargh," I said Really!

"Is your time with her usually like this?" Appius Livius asked Eric, as sh not to answer

"Sookie," he said "It won&039;t be pleasant, but I think I can fly carrying hiood place to put hih aall the dead ends I actually s an idea loose It worked "Sure, Eric Put hiht across the road from my driveway There&039;s a little bit of a driveway left there, but no house The Weres can use the driveway as a marker when they co to find hi soon"

Without further discussion, Eric leaped into the hole and rewrapped Basih the lantern showedbody and leaped into the air He was out of view in a second

"Damn," said Jason, irave," I said We set to work, with Appius Livius watching It obviously didn&039;t occur to hio much faster Even Alexei shoved in piles of dirt, and he see it This was probably as close to a normal activity as the thirteen-year-old had come in some tirave The tsarevitch tore at the hard edges with his small hands I alured the grave-shaped dent until it looked like an irregular dent, maybe created by rain or a collapsed mole tunnel He beamed at us when he&039;d finished, and Jason clapped hiot a branch and swept it over the area, and then we tossed leaves and branches around Alexei enjoyed that part, too

Finally, we gave up I couldn&039;t think of one htened, I shouldered one of the shovels and prepared to h the woods Jason took the other shovel in his right hand, and Alexei took Jason&039;s left hand, as if he were even younger than the child he looked My brother, though his face was a picture, kept hold of the va us through the trees and undergroith some assurance

Eric was at the house e reached it He&039;d already thrown his clothes into the garbage and gotten into the shower Under other circumstances, I would have loved to join him, but it just wasn&039;t possible to feel sexy at the rimy and nasty, but I was still the hostess, so I heated up so vampires and showed them the downstairs bathroom in case they wanted to wash up

Jason ca to shove off

"Letis," he said in a subdued way "And I gotta report all this to Calvin, you know"

"I understand," I said, weary to death of politics of all kinds I wondered if A the two-natured to register Ah this crap Huh

Jason went out the back door A second later, I heard his truck roaring away Almost as soon as Appius Livius and Alexei had had their drinks, Eric cae atvery much like my apricot body wash With his maker around, Eric could hardly have a heart-to-heart withlike my honey now that his dad was in the house There could be several reasons for this I didn&039;t like any of them

Soon afterward, the three vampires left for Shreveport Appius Livius thanked me for my hospitality in such an i sarcastic Eric was as silent as a stone Alexei, as calaveit with equal calm

Three seconds after they were out the door, I was on the phone

"Fangtasia, where all your bloody dreams come true," said a bored female voice

"Pam Listen"

"The phone is pressed to my ear Speak"

"Appius Livius Ocella just dropped in"

"Fuck a zombie!"

I wasn&039;t sure that I&039;d heard that correctly "Yes, he&039;s been here I guess he&039;s your granddad? Anyway, he&039;s got a new prot¨¦g¨¦ with hi for Eric&039;s to spend the day"

"What does he want?"

"He hasn&039;t said yet"

"How is Eric?"

"Very tightly wound Plus, a lot of stuff happened that he&039;ll tell you about"

"Thanks for the warning I&039;ll go to the house now You&039;reup I wondered what preparations she would make Would the vao into a cleaning frenzy at Eric&039;s? I&039;d only seen Pah I assumed some of the crew ca humans over to act as bedti to bed Whatever Eric&039;sto like And I already knew Appius Livius&039;s presence was bad for our relationship While I was in the shower - and before I picked up the wet towels Eric had left on the floor - I did so can be pretty convoluted But I tried to inificance of the Roman&039;s surprise visit Surely he hadn&039;t shown up in Aeezer gossip

Maybe he needed a loan That wouldn&039;t be too bad Eric could always h I had no idea how Eric stood financially, I had a little nest egg in the bank since Sophie-Anne&039;s estate had paid up the money she&039;d owedaccount would be co to join it If Eric needed it, he could have it

But what if money wasn&039;t the issue? Maybe Appius Livius needed to hole up because he&039;d gotten in trouble somewhere else Maybe some Bolshevik va I could always hope they&039;d catch up with Appius Liviusas long as it wasn&039;t at Eric&039;s house

Or perhaps Eric&039;s maker had been courted by Felipe de Castro or Victor Madden because they wanted soiven up yet, and they planned on using Eric&039;s s

But here was my most likely scenario: Appius Livius Ocella had dropped by with his "new" boy toy just tomy money on Appius Livius was hard to read At moments he seemed okay He seemed to care about Eric, and he seemed to care about Alexei As for Eric&039;s maker&039;s relationship with Alexei - the boy would have died if Appius Livius hadn&039;t intervened Given the circu the murders of his entire fa the tsarevitch die

I was sure Appius Livius was having sex with Alexei, but it was impossible to tell whether Alexei&039;s passive demeanor came from the fact that he was in an unwanted sexual relationship or fro his family shot multiple ti I could sleep

I realized there was another phone call I should reat reluctance, I called Bobby Burnhauy Bobby and I had never liked each other Bobby eirdly jealous of h he didn&039;t have the hots for Eric sexually at all In Bobby&039;s opinion, I diverted Eric&039;s attention and energy away from its proper focus, which was Bobby and the business affairs he handled for Eric while Eric slept the day away I was down on Bobby because instead of silently disliking me, he actively tried to make my life more difficult, which was a whole different kettle of fish But still, ere both in the Eric business

"Bobby, it&039;s Sookie"

"I got caller ID"

Mr Sullen "Bobby, I think you ought to know that Eric&039;s et your instructions, be careful" Bobby norround for the day, unless Eric stayed over at my place

Bobby took his tiure out if I was playing some elaborate practical joke on him "Is he likely to want to bite me?" he asked "Theto want, Bobby I just felt like I ought to give you a heads-up"

"Eric won&039;t let hieneral inforh"

"No way," Bobby said To Bobby, Eric was the otta mind their maker This is no lie"

Bobby had to have heard that news itee board for vampires&039; human assistants I&039; with their eue or accuse e

"Okay," he said, "I&039;m ready for &039;em WasWhat kind of person is Eric&039;s maker?"

"He&039;s not ot a thirteen-year-old boyfriend who used to be Russian royalty"

After a long silence, Bobby said, "Thanks It&039;s good to be prepared"

That was the nicest thing he&039;d ever said to ht, Bobby," I said, and we hung up We&039;d ing Ahtshirt and crawled into bed I had to try to get so the light fro in the woods as the dirt rave And I saw the dead Were&039;s face But eventually, finally, the edges of that face blurred and darkness slid over me

I slept late and heavily the next day TheI let my extra sense check it out, and I found that Claude was frying bacon and eggs There was coffee in the pot, and I didn&039;t need telepathy to know that I could s

After a trip to the bathroom, I stumbled into the hall andat the table eating, and I could see there was enough coffee in the pot forto the stove

I got a plate and a lanced over at the clock It was Sunday, and Merlotte&039;s wouldn&039;t be open until the afternoon Sah the whole staff half hoped it wouldn&039;t be profitable As Claude and I ate in a companionable silence, I realized I felt wonderfully peaceful because Eric was in his day sleep Thataround with me His problehed with relief

"I saw Derht," Claude said

Crap! Well, so much for peace "Where?" I asked

"He was at the club Staring at ay?"

"No, I don&039;t think so It wasn&039;tof He wanted to be around another fairy"

"I sure hoped he was gone Niall told Jason and one into the fae land when it was closing up"

"He would have been killed on sight" Claude took the time to sip some coffee before he added, "No one in the fae world understands Dermot&039;s actions He should have sided with Niall fro, because he&039;s kin and because he&039;s half-human and Niall wanted to spare hu - or at least that&039;s all I can iine - led him to take the side of the fairies who really couldn&039;t stand him, and that side lost" Claude looked happy "So Dermot has cut off his own nose to spite his face I love that saying Sos very well"

"Do you think he still means to hurt my brother and me?"

"I don&039;t think he ever intended to hurt you," Claude said, after thinking it over "I think Deruy a few score years ago I don&039;t know if it&039;s his huone batshit, or his fae side that&039;s soaked up too many toxins from the hu your parents The Der"

I considered pointing out that truly crazy people can hurt others around the they&039;re doing it But I didn&039;t Der to everyone who&039;d er for my brother I admitted to myself I was curious about him And I wondered about what Niall had said about Der been the one who&039;d opened the truck doors so my parents could be pulled out and drowned by Neave and Lochlan Dermot&039;s behavior, the bit that I&039;d observed, didn&039;t gibe with the horror of that incident Would Derh to attract him? I had doubted Bill&039;s assertion that he felt better from my nearness because of my fairy blood