Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse #9)(20)
Author: Charlaine Harris

"He recovered fully. He collected his fee and then he vanished into the depths of Mexico."

"Mexico’s gain is Mexico’s loss," I said. I shrugged. "I guess it takes a lawyer to get your money when the hirer is dead. I never got mine. Maybe Sophie-Anne thought Glassport did more for her, or he had the wits to ask even though she’d lost her legs."

"I didn’t know you weren’t paid." Eric looked displeased all over again. "I’ll talk to Victor. If Glassport collected for his services to Sophie, you certainly should. Sophie left a large estate, and no children. Victor’s king owes you a debt. He’ll listen."

"That would be great," I said. I may have sounded a little too relieved.

Eric eyed me sharply. "You know," he said, "if you need money, you have only to ask. I will not have you going without anything you need, and I know you enough to be sure you wouldn’t ask for money for something frivolous."

He almost didn’t sound like that was such an admirable attribute. "I appreciate the thought," I said, and I could hear my voice get all stiff. "I just want what’s due me."

There was a long silence between us, though the bar was at its usual noise level around Eric’s table.

"Tell me the truth," Eric said. "Is it possible you came here simply to spend time with me? You haven’t yet told me how angry you are with me that I tricked you over the knife. Apparently you’re not going to, at least not tonight. I haven’t yet discussed with you all my memories of the time we spent together when you were hiding me at your house. Do you know why I ended up so close to your home, running down that road in the freezing cold?"

His question was so unexpected that I was struck silent. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. But finally I said, "No, I don’t."

"The curse contained within the witch, the curse that activated when Clancy killed her … it was that I would be close to my heart’s desire without ever realizing it. A terrible curse and one that Hallow must have constructed with great subtlety. We found it dog-eared in her spell book."

There was nothing for me to say. I’d think about that, though.

It was the first time I’d come to Fangtasia simply to talk, without having been called there for some vampire reason. Blood bond or something much more natural? "I think … I just wanted some company," I said. "No soul-shaking revelations."

He smiled. "This is good."

I didn’t know if it was or not.

"You know we’re not really married, right?" I said. I had to say something, as much as I wanted to forget the whole thing had ever happened. "I know vamps and humans can get married now, but that wasn’t a ceremony I recognize, nor does the State of Louisiana."

"I know that if I hadn’t done it, you’d be sitting in a little room in Nevada right now, listening to Felipe de Castro while he does business with humans."

I hate it when my suspicions are correct. "But I saved him," I said, trying not to whine. "I saved his life, and he promised I had his friendship. Which means his protection, I thought."

"He wants to protect you right by his side now that he knows what you can do. He wants the leverage having you would give him over me."

"Some gratitude. I should have let Sigebert kill him." I closed my eyes. "Dammit, I just can’t come out ahead."

"He can’t have you now," Eric said. "We are wed."

"But, Eric …" I thought of so many objections to this arrangement I couldn’t even begin to voice them. I had promised myself I wouldn’t start arguing about this tonight, but the issue was like the eight-hundred-pound gorilla. It simply couldn’t be ignored. "What if I meet someone else? What if you … Hey, what are the ground rules of being officially married? Just tell me."

"You’re too upset and tired tonight for a rational conversation," Eric said.

He shook his hair back over his shoulders, and a woman at the next table said,"Oooooooooh ."

"Understand that he can’t touch you now, that no one can unless they petition me first. This is under penalty of final death. And this is where my ruthlessness will be of service to both of us."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. You’re right. But this isn’t the end of the subject. I want to know everything about our new situation, and I want to know I can get out of this if I can’t stand it."

His eyes looked as blue as a clear autumn sky, and as guileless. "You will know everything when you want to know," he said.

"Hey, does the new king know about my great-grandfather?"

Eric’s face settled into lines of stone. "I can’t predict Felipe’s reaction if he finds out, my lover. Bill and I are the only ones who have that knowledge now. It has to stay that way."

He reached over to take my hand again. I could feel each muscle, each bone, through the cool flesh. It was like holding hands with a statue, a very beautiful statue. Again, I felt oddly peaceful for a few minutes.

"I have to go, Eric," I said, sorry but not sorry to be leaving. He leaned over to me and kissed me lightly on the lips. When I pushed back my chair, he rose to walk me to the door. I felt the wannabes hammer me with looks of envy all the way out of Fangtasia. Pam was at her station, and she looked at us with a chilly smile.

Lest we part on too lovey-dovey a note, I said, "Eric, when I’m back to being myself, I’m going to nail your ass for putting me in this position of being pledged to you."

"Darling, you can nail my ass anytime," he said charmingly, and turned to go back to his table.

Pam rolled her eyes. "You two," she said.

"Hey, this isn’t any of my doing," I said, which wasn’t entirely true. But it was a good exit line, and I took advantage of it to leave the bar.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Andy Bellefleur called to give me the greenlight to reopen.

By the time the crime scene tape was down, Sam had returned to Bon Temps. I was so glad to see my boss that my eyes got weepy. Managing Merlotte’s was a lot harder than I’d ever realized. There were decisions to make every day and a huge crowd of people who needed to be kept happy: the customers, the workers, the distributors, the deliverymen. Sam’s tax guy had called with questions I couldn’t answer. The utility bill was due in three days, and I didn’t have check-writing privileges. There was a lot of money that needed to be deposited into the bank. It was almost payroll time.

Though I felt like blurting out all these problems the minute Sam walked in the back door of the bar, I drew in a calming breath and asked about his mother.

After giving me a half hug, Sam had thrown himself into his creaking chair behind his desk. He swiveled to face me directly. He propped his feet up on the edge of the desk with an air of relief. "She’s talking, walking, and mending," he said. "For the first time, we don’t have to make up a story to cover how fast she can heal. We took her home this morning, and she’s already trying to do stuff around the house. My brother and sister are asking her a million questions now that they’ve gotten used to the idea. They even seem kind of envious I’m the one who inherited the trait."