“It’s a lot better now,” I said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do my job, but that little critter guarding the door wouldn’t let me in. He didn’t seem to know who I was, if you can believe that.”
Since Bubba himself hardly remembered who he was, and had a real fit when he did, maybe it wasn’t too surprising that a goblin wouldn’t be current on American popular music.
“But I saw Mr. Eric carrying you out, so I followed you.”
“Thank you, Bubba. That was real smart.”
He smiled, in a slack and dim sort of way. “Miss Sookie, what you doing in bed with Mr. Eric if Bill is your boyfriend?”
“That’s a real good question, Bubba,” I said. I tried to sit up, but I couldn’t do it. I made a little pain sound, and Eric cursed in another language.
“I am going to give her blood, Bubba,” Eric said. “Let me tell you what I need you to do.”
“Sure,” Bubba said agreeably.
“Since you got over the wall and into the house without being caught, I need you to search this estate. We think Bill is here somewhere. They are keeping him prisoner. Don’t try to free him. This is an order. Come back here and tell us when you have found him. If they see you, don’t run. Just don’t say anything. Nothing. Not about me, or Sookie, or Bill. Nothing more than, ‘Hi, my name is Bubba.’ ”
“Hi, my name is Bubba.”
“Right.”
“Hi, my name is Bubba.”
“Yes. That’s fine. Now, you sneak, and you be quiet and invisible.”
Bubba smiled at us. “Yes, Mr. Eric. But after that, I gotta go find me some food. I’m mighty hungry.”
“Okay, Bubba. Go search now.”
Bubba scrambled back out the window, which was on the second story. I wondered how he was going to get to the ground, but if he’d gotten into the window, I was sure he could get out of it.
“Sookie,” Eric said, right in my ear. “We could have a long argument about you taking my blood, and I know everything you would say. But the fact is, dawn is coming. I don’t know if you will be allowed to stay the day here or not. I will have to find shelter, here or elsewhere. I want you strong and able to defend yourself; at least able to move quickly.”
“I know Bill is here,” I said, after I’d thought this over for a moment. “And no matter what we almost just did—thank God for Bubba—I need to find Bill. The best time to get him out of here would be while all you vampires are asleep. Can he move at all during the daytime?”
“If he knows he is in great danger, he may be able to stagger,” Eric said, slowly and thoughtfully. “Now I am even more sure you will need my blood, because you need strength. He will need to be covered thoroughly. You will need to take the blanket off this bed; it’s thick. How will you get him out of here?”
“That’s where you come in,” I said. “After we do this blood thing, you need to go get me a car—a car with a great big trunk, like a Lincoln or a Caddy. And you need to get the keys to me. And you’ll need to sleep somewhere else. You don’t want to be here when they wake up and find their prisoner is gone.” Eric’s hand was resting quietly on my stomach, and we were still wrapped up together in the bedding. But the situation felt completely different.
“Sookie, where will you take him?”
“An underground place,” I said uncertainly. “Hey, maybe Alcide’s parking garage! That’s better than being out in the open.”
Eric sat up against the headboard. The silk boxers were royal blue. He spread his legs and I could see up the leg hole. Oh, Lord. I had to close my eyes. He laughed.
“Sit up with your back against my chest, Sookie. That will make you more comfortable.”
He carefully eased me up against him, my back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around me. It was like leaning against a firm, cool, pillow. His right arm vanished, and I heard a little crunch sound. Then his wrist appeared in front of my face, blood running from the two wounds in his skin.
“This will cure you of everything,” Eric said.
I hesitated, then derided myself for my foolish hesitation. I knew that the more of Eric’s blood I had in me, the more he would know me. I knew that it would give him some kind of power over me. I knew that I would be stronger for a long time, and given how old Eric was, I would be very strong. I would heal, and I would feel wonderful. I would be more attractive. This was why vampires were preyed upon by Drainers, humans who worked in teams to capture vamps, chain them with silver, and drain their blood into vials, which sold for varying sums on the black market. Two hundred dollars had been the going price for one vial last year; God knows what Eric’s blood would bring, since he was so old. Proving that provenance would definitely be a problem for the Drainer. Draining was an extremely hazardous occupation, and it was also extremely illegal.
Eric was giving me a great gift.
I have never been what you would call squeamish, thank goodness. I closed my mouth over the little wounds, and I sucked.
Eric moaned, and I could tell quickly that he was once again pleased to be in such close contact. He began to move a little, and there wasn’t a lot I could do about it. His left arm was keeping me firmly clamped against him, and his right arm was, after all, feeding me. It was still hard not to be icked out by the process. But Eric was definitely having a good time, and since with every pull I felt better, it was hard to argue with myself that this was a bad thing to be doing. I tried not to think, and I tried not to move myself in response. I remembered the time I’d taken Bill’s blood because I needed extra strength, and I remembered Bill’s reaction.
Eric pressed against me even harder, and suddenly he said, “Ohhhhh,” and relaxed all over. I felt wetness against my back, and I took one deep, last draw. Eric groaned again, a deep and guttural sound, and his mouth trailed down the side of my neck.
“Don’t bite me,” I said. I was holding on to the remnants of my sanity with difficulty. What had excited me, I told myself, was my memory of Bill; his reaction when I’d bitten him, his intense arousal. Eric just happened to be here. I couldn’t have sex with a vampire, especially Eric, just because I found him attractive—not when there would be such dire consequences. I was just too strung out to enumerate those consequences to myself. I was an adult, I told myself sternly; true adults don’t have sex just because the other person is skilled and pretty.
Eric’s fangs scraped my shoulder.
I launched myself out of that bed like a rocket. Intending to locate a bathroom, I flung open the door to find the short brunette vampire, the one with the curly hair, standing just outside, his left arm draped with clothes, his right raised to knock.
“Well, look at you,” he said, smiling. And he certainly was looking. He burned his candle at both ends, apparently.
“You needed to talk to me?” I leaned against the door frame, doing my best to look wan and frail.
“Yes, after we cut your beautiful dress off, Russell figured you’d need some clothes. I happened to have these in my closet, and since we’re the same height . . .”
“Oh,” I said faintly. I’d never shared clothes with a guy. “Well, thank you so much. This is very kind of you.” And it was. He’d brought some sweats (powder blue) and socks, and a silk bathrobe, and even some fresh panties. I didn’t want to think about that too closely.
“You seem better,” the small man said. His eyes were admiring, but not in any real personal way. Maybe I’d overestimated my charms.
“I am very shaky,” I said quietly. “I was up because I was on my way to the bathroom.”
Curly’s brown eyes flared, and I could tell he was looking at Eric over my shoulder. This view definitely was more to his taste, and his smile became frankly inviting. “Leif, would you like to share my coffin today?” he asked, practically batting his eyelashes.
I didn’t dare turn to look at Eric. There was a patch on my back that was still wet. I was suddenly disgusted with myself. I’d had thoughts about Alcide, and more than had thoughts
about Eric. I was not pleased with my moral fiber. It was no excuse that I knew Bill had been unfaithful to me, or at least it wasn’t much of an excuse. It was probably also not an excuse that being with Bill had accustomed me to regular, spectacular sex. Or not much of an excuse.
It was time to pull my moral socks up and behave myself. Just deciding that made me feel better.
“I have to run an errand for Sookie,” Eric was telling the curly-haired vamp. “I am not sure I’ll return before daybreak, but if I do, you can be sure I’ll seek you out.” Eric was flirting back. While all this repartee was flying around me, I pulled on the silk robe, which was black and pink and white, all flowers. It was really outstanding. Curly spared me a glance, and seemed more interested than he had when I’d just appeared in my undies.
“Yum,” he said simply.
“Again, thanks,” I said. “Could you tell me where the nearest bathroom is?”
He pointed down the hall to a half-open door.
“Excuse me,” I said to both of them, and reminded myself to walk slowly and carefully, as if I was still in pain, as I made my way down the hall. Past the bathroom, by maybe two doors, I could see the head of the staircase. Okay, I knew the way out now. That was actually a comfort.
The bathroom was just a regular old bathroom. It was full of the stuff that usually clutters bathrooms: hair dryers, hot curlers, deodorant, shampoo, styling gel. Some makeup. Brushes and combs and razors.
Though the counter was clean and orderly, it was apparent several people shared the room. I was willing to bet Russell Edgington’s personal bathroom looked nothing like this one. I found some bobby pins and secured my hair on top of my head, and I took the quickest shower on record. Since my hair had just been washed that morning, which now seemed years ago and took forever to dry besides, I was glad to skip it in favor of scrubbing my skin vigorously with the scented soap in the built-in dish. There were clean towels in the closet, which was a relief.
I was back in the bedroom within fifteen minutes. Curly was gone, Eric was dressed, and Bubba was back.
Eric did not say one word about the embarrassing incident that had taken place between us. He eyed the robe appreciatively but silently.
“Bubba has scoped out the territory, Sookie,” Eric said, clearly quoting.
Bubba was smiling his slightly lopsided smile. He was pleased with himself. “Miss Sookie, I found Bill,” he said triumphantly. “He ain’t in such good shape, but he’s alive.”
I sank into a chair with no forewarning. I was just lucky it was behind me. My back was still straight—but all of a sudden, I was sitting instead of standing. It was one more strange sensation in a night full of them.
When I was able to think of anything else, I noticed vaguely that Eric’s expression was a bewildering blend of things: pleasure, regret, anger, satisfaction. Bubba just looked happy.
“Where is he?” My voice didn’t even sound like my own.
“There’s a big building in back of here, like a four-car garage, but it’s got apartments on top of it and a room to the side.”
Russell liked to keep his help handy.
“Are there other buildings? Could I get confused?”
“There’s a swimming pool, Miss Sookie, and it’s got a little building right by it for people to change into their bathing suits. And there’s a great big toolshed, I think that’s what it’s for, but it’s separate from the garage.”
Eric said, “What part of the garage is he being kept in?”
Bubba said, “The room to the right side. I think maybe the garage used to be stables, and the room is where they kept the saddles and stuff. It isn’t too big.”
“How many are in there with him?” Eric was asking some good questions. I could not get over Bubba’s assurance that Bill was still alive and that I was very close to him.
“They got three in there right now, Mr. Eric, two men and one woman. All three are vamps. She’s the one with the knife.”
I shrank inside myself. “Knife,” I said.
“Yes’m, she’s cut him up pretty bad.”
This was no time to falter. I’d been priding myself on my lack of squeamishness earlier. This was the moment to prove I’d been telling the truth to myself.
“He’s held out this long,” I said.
“He has,” Eric agreed. “Sookie, I will go to get a car. I’ll try to park it back there by the stables.”
“Do you think they’ll let you back in?”
“If I take Bernard with me.”
“Bernard?”
“The little one.” Eric smiled at me, and his own smile was a little lopsided.
“You mean . . . Oh, if you take Curly with you, they’ll let you back in because he lives here?”
“Yes. But I may have to stay here. With him.”
“You couldn’t, ah, get out of it?”
“Maybe, maybe not. I don’t want to be caught here, rising, when they discover Bill is gone, and you with him.”
“Miss Sookie, they’ll put werewolves to guarding him during the day.”
We both looked at Bubba simultaneously.
“Those werewolves that have been on your trail? They’ll be guarding Bill when the vamps go to sleep.”
“But tonight is the full moon,” I said. “They’ll be worn out when it’s their turn to take over. If they show up at all.”
Eric looked at me with some surprise. “You’re right, Sookie. This is the best opportunity we’re going to get.”
We talked it over some more; perhaps I could act very weak and hole up in the house, waiting for a human ally of Eric’s to arrive from Shreveport. Eric said he would call the minute he got out of the immediate area, on his cell phone.
Eric said, “Maybe Alcide could lend a hand tomorrow morning.”
I have to admit, I was tempted by the idea of calling him in again. Alcide was big and tough and competent, and something hidden and weak in me suggested that surely Alcide would be able to manage everything better than I would. But my conscience gave an enormous twinge. Alcide, I argued, could not be involved further. He’d done his job. He had to deal with these people in a business way, and it would ruin him if Russell figured out his part in the escape of Bill Compton.
We couldn’t spend any more time in discussion, because it lacked only two hours until dawn. With a lot of details still loose, Eric went to find Curly—Bernard—and coyly request his company on an errand to obtain a car I assumed he intended to rent, and what car rental place would be open at this hour was a mystery to me, but Eric didn’t seem to anticipate any trouble. I tried to dismiss my doubts from my mind. Bubba agreed to go over Russell’s wall again, as he’d entered, and find a place to go to ground for the day. Only the fact that this was the night of the full moon had saved Bubba’s life, Eric said, and I was willing to believe it. The vampire guarding the gate might be good, but he couldn’t be everywhere.
My job was to play weak until day, when the vampires would retire, and then somehow get Bill out of the stable and into the trunk of the car Eric would provide. They’d have no reason to stop me from leaving.
“This is maybe the worst plan I have ever heard,” Eric said.
“You got that right, but it’s all we have.”
“You’ll do great, Miss Sookie,” Bubba told me encouragingly.
That’s what I needed, a positive attitude. “Thank you, Bubba,” I said, trying to sound as grateful as I felt. I was energized by Eric’s blood. I felt like my eyes were shooting sparks and my hair was floating around my head in a electric halo.
“Don’t get too carried away,” Eric advised. He reminded me that this was a common problem with people who ingested black-market vampire blood. They attempted crazy things since they felt so strong, so invincible, and sometimes they just weren’t up to the attempted feat—like the guy who tried to fight a whole gang at once, or the woman who took on an oncoming train. I took a deep breath, trying to impress his warning on my brain. What I wanted to do was lean
out the window and see if I could crawl up the wall to the roof. Wow, Eric’s blood was awesome. That was a word I’d never used before, but it was accurate. I’d never realized what a difference there would be between taking Bill’s blood and taking Eric’s.
There was a knock at the door, and we all looked at it as if we could see through it.
In an amazingly short time, Bubba was out the window, Eric was sitting in the chair by the bed, and I was in the bed trying to look weak and shaky.
“Come in,” Eric called in a hushed voice, as befitted the companion of someone recuperating from a terrible wound.
It was Curly—that is, Bernard. Bernard was wearing jeans and a dark red sweater, and he looked good enough to eat. I closed my eyes and gave myself a stern lecture. The blood infusion had made me very lively.
“How is she doing?” Bernard asked, almost whispering. “Her color is better.”
“Still in pain, but healing, thanks to the generosity of your king.”
“He was glad to do it,” Bernard said courteously. “But he will be, ah, best pleased if she can leave on her own tomorrow morning. He is sure by then her boyfriend will be back at his apartment after he has enjoyed the moon tonight. I hope this doesn’t seem too brusque?”
“No, I can understand his concern,” Eric said, being polite right back.
Apparently, Russell was afraid that I would stay for several days, cashing in on my act of heroism. Russell, unused to having human female houseguests, wanted me to go back to Alcide, when he was sure Alcide would be able to see after me. Russell was a little uneasy about an unknown woman wandering around his compound during the day, when he and all his retinue would be in their deep sleep.
Russell was quite right to worry about this.
“Then I’ll go get her a car and park it in the area to the rear of the house, and she can drive herself out tomorrow. If you can arrange that she’ll have safe passage through the front gates—I assume they are guarded during the day?—I will have fulfilled my obligation to my friend Alcide.”
Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set Page 68
