Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12)(65)
Author: Charlaine Harris

"Why would Claude have done such a thing?"

I didn’t realize I’d said it out loud until Bill answered.

"Sookie, I don’t know. I can’t even guess. He doesn’t hate Eric, or at least I can’t think of any reason why he should. He might be envious you have such a handsome lover, but that’s hardly sufficient reason …"

I wasn’t about to tell Bill that Claude had told me he occasionally bedded a real woman. Eric would surely have been more in Claude’s natural ballpark.

"Okay, let’s think," I said. "Why would he try to make trouble in such a devious way? He could have set fire to my house." (Though that had already been done.) "He could try to shoot me." (Ditto.) "He could abduct me and torture me." (Likewise.) "If his goal was to make trouble for Eric, there were at least twenty more direct ways to cause it."

"Yes," Bill said. "But a direct way would have led straight back to him. It’s the indirectness of it, the slyness of it, that convinces me that Claude wanted to stay in your good graces, stay close to you."

"It’s not out of love. I can tell you that."

"Is there something I don’t know about, Sookie? Some reason Claude would want your company, want to live in your house and stay close to you?" After a moment of silence, Bill hurried to add, "Not that any sane male wouldn’t want to, even someone like Claude who likes other men."

"Why, yes, Bill," I said, "And it’s funny you should bring that up. As a matter of fact, there is such a reason."

Though I clammed up then because I didn’t need to spread the word any wider, I was fuming. I might as well get "I HAVE A CLUVIEL DOR" tattooed on my forehead. Thanks, Grandfather Fintan, for the great gift. And while I was at it, Thanks, Sponsor Cataliades, for the telepathy. And also while I was angry at people in my past-Thanks, Gran, for (a) having an affair with a fairy and (b) not using the cluviel dor while you had the chance and, therefore, sticking me with it.

I had to talk myself down a little bit after that internal explosion of rage, all the more powerful because it was silent.

I took a deep breath and let it out, as Bill had advised me to do earlier in the evening. The procedure did let off some steam and gave me the control necessary to clap some discipline onto my thoughts. One of the things I really like about Bill is that he didn’t pester me with questions while I was working through all this. He just drove.

"I can’t talk about it now," I said. "I’m sorry."

"Can you tell me if you’ve heard from Niall or Claude since they left?"

"No, I haven’t. I put a letter through … that is, I sent them a letter because Dermot’s having a hard time controlling the remaining fae. I’m sure you know they’re getting restless."

"They are not alone," Bill said darkly.

"And you’re referring to what?" I was too tired and upset to make any guesses.

"All our guests are still here-Felipe, Horst, Angie," he said. "It’s like having a visit from a king in the eighteenth century. You could be poor after such an honor. And they’ve bonded mightily with the stupid wrestler-T-Rex. Felipe even talks of asking him if he wants to be brought over. Felipe thinks he would make a popular spokesman for the pro-vampire movement."

"Is Freyda still here, too?" I was humiliated that I had to ask Bill to know the answer, but I wanted to know the answer so badly that I would accept the humiliation.

"Yes. She’s spending as much time with Eric as he’ll permit her."

"I didn’t get the impression that she was in the habit of waiting for permission."

"You’re absolutely right. I can’t decide if Eric is genuinely trying to discourage her or if he’s driving up his price."

I felt like Bill had slapped me.

He said instantly, "Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut." He sounded genuinely contrite, but I didn’t trust anyone anymore.

"You really think Eric’s capable of that?"

"Sookie, you know Eric’s capable of that, and much more." Bill shrugged. "I won’t be less than honest with you. And I won’t sugarcoat this situation. From my point of view, Eric’s involvement with Freyda is a wonderful thing. But for your sake, I hope Eric is so deeply devoted to you that he’s determined to drive Freyda to a more amenable mate."

"He loves me." I sounded like a terrified child telling her father that she really, really wasn’t afraid of the dark. I despised that in myself.

"Yes, he does," Bill agreed readily.

That conversation was clearly over, and it was one we wouldn’t have again.

I had a fantasy that when we got to my house, Eric would be sitting on the back steps waiting for me. He would have ditched all his Nevada company. He would be waiting to assure me that he had sent Freyda packing, that he’d told her how much he loved me, that he never wanted to leave me no matter how much power and wealth she offered him. He would be shooting a final bird at his maker, Appius Livius Ocella. All the vampires in his sheriffdom would be happy about his decision because they liked me so much.

As long as I was having a fantasy, I decided to build on it. In the daylight, Claude would return to my house with Niall. Niall would say that he had brainwashed Claude, and that Claude was now an agreeable person who regretted any of his past deeds that had offended others. They both embraced Dermot as an equal and took him back to Faery with them, along with all the other fae at Hooligans. I could be sure they would be happy forever, since it was a fairy tale.

Then I mentally married off Jason and Michele and gave them three little boys. I married off Terry and Jimmie and gave their Catahoulas many litters. I named Alcide packmaster for life and threw in a happy marriage to Kandace and a resultant daughter. I gave the du Rone twins full scholarships to Tulane, and for Sam … I simply couldn’t think of the best gift for Sam. Of course, the bar would prosper, but with his tendency to fall for women on the supernatural side … well, the bar would prosper. Quinn would live happily ever after with his tigress, Tijgerin, and she would be able to rehabilitate the unpleasant Frannie, who would become a nurse.

I was probably skipping a few people. Oh, yeah, Holly and Hoyt. They’d have a girl and a boy, and Holly’s son by her first marriage would love his stepdad and his new siblings. Hoyt’s lifelong friendship with my brother would never come between the couple again, because my brother would never drag Hoyt into trouble. Again.

India would find some fine young woman, and the state of Louisiana would pass a bill to enable them to get married legally. No one would ever, ever make lesbian jokes or misquote scripture at them … as long as I was fantasizing.