chapter thirty-

seven

                The Christmas holidays were over and there was a slight deflated feeling after the rush and buzz. Rachel and Sky went to the center a few hours every day between Christmas and New Years. They worked to unpack the herbs and health food supplements and they got in books written by vampires and humans alike. They sold the books for those who wanted to buy them, but they also kept some copies they could lend and sent some to the local library for their collections.

                Luna called and accepted their offer for the space and she and several members of their organization came down and moved their files in. Eric made them a gift of computers and Gerald came down one night and set them up on the network. He was currently developing a web site for the center and he offered to do the same for the two natured. Luna accepted his offer.

                Everything was peaceful until the night Eric came home covered in blood. Sky rushed to him but he put his hand out to stop her. “Don’t touch me. Bring me a garbage bag,” he said, as he stood on the ratty rug she kept at the back entrance door for muddy shoes. He was covered in it, on his face and his chest and arms even his jeans were wet with it. It was bright and looked hot on his pale skin.

                “Are you hurt?” she asked.

                “This is not my blood Sky,” he said. She went to the pantry and brought him the garbage bag and he emptied his pockets and took off his clothes and put them in the trash. “It is Reynold’s blood.”

                “He’s dead?” she asked. Eric was naked but he was still filthy with the blood dried on his skin and the clothes he discarded had a soaked, gloppy heavy sound as he dropped them in the bag.

                “Yes,” he said. He looked at Sky. “This is what I am Sky, take a long look at me, stained in the blood of my enemies, full of their blood, smelling like their deaths. This is the face of vampire. Do you still love me?” Sky looked at him and swallowed hard. She could smell the blood on him.

                “Let me run you a hot shower so you can wash and change and I can drive you back to work,” she said. He stood there for a moment, looking at her. She held her hand out to him and he took it and she led him upstairs and into their bathroom. In the bright light of the bathroom, his pallor made the blood seem grotesquely gaudy  on his skin. He stepped into the shower and put his face to the stream of water and reached for the soap and began to scrub. Sky grabbed him two towels and laid them on the counter and went and grabbed him a fresh pair of jeans, a clean Fangtasia tee shirt, and his socks and under clothes. He thrashed around in the shower and washed his body and his hair and came out. He dried himself and toweled his hair and came back into the bedroom. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her neck and she pulled his arms around her tighter. “I love you Eric. I am afraid of the violence, I will not lie to you, but I am not afraid of you.”

                “I would never hurt you, never. I would go to my true death before I would ever hurt you. But you have to know that as much as I love you, I am that dangerous, that savage,” he said. “If you can accept that and lay in bed with me and look at me and not think I am a monster and dangerous to you, then we are going to make it. We will survive. I never want to look at you and see hate and disgust and fear on your face because of the lengths I will go to keep you safe and happy.”

                “I told Reynolds you were going to kill him. I told him hell was cold and it had teeth and his blood would be in your belly,” she said. “He’ll probably give you indigestion.” Eric squeezed her tighter and chuckled. “Get dressed Eric, so you can go back to work and don’t forget to use those biological powders to get rid of the blood stains.”

                “I will,” he said. “I love you red haired woman.”

                “I love you my wild Viking,” she said.

                Bill had come home from work at the call center and he and Rachel were playing chess with the lovely set Eric had given them. They were on the rug in front of the fire and Richard Westnight was reading his kindle, probably one of his endless Gore Vidal novels and her mother was tatting lace, a thing Bill had not seen women do since his human times. Rachel had to confess to being able to tat lace, but she was partial to embroidery and was amused to find she had a kindred soul in Pam. The two discussed embroidery stitches and Pam promised her she would come over and teach her some old techniques she learned in her time. India was actually bonding to her grand sire. She liked the bar business and he taught her everything he knew about the bar and hospitality business. He even agreed to let her organize a live band night once a month, booking both human and vampire acts and she auditioned for more dancers, both human and vampires.

                “Bill?” said Celeste. His eyes flickered toward her.

                “Yes, Celeste,” he said.

                “What do vampires call it when they rest?” asked Celeste.

                “Day rest?” asked Bill.

                “No, when you just go all still and unmoving,” said Celeste.

                “Ah, well we never really called it anything, but a term popular among humans and vampire is downtime. But Rachel calls it ‘going on screensaver’,” he looked at Rachel and she grinned at him.  Celeste laughed.

                “That is so cute,” said Rachel’s mom.

                “Well that is what it looked like to me,” said Rachel. “I remember teaching tm to a group with two or three vampires in it and they were just sitting there, not moving a muscle and staring straight ahead, all glassy eyed till I moved in front of them. They animated like I had moved the mouse. But vampires doing transcendental meditation doesn’t make any sense to me. I hate to charge them a fee to do something they do naturally.”

                “Vampires for the most part have no religion. There are always exceptions to the rule. In lieu of religion, they enjoy being seen doing some things that are pseudo spiritual, like meditation. They do get the benefit of downtime, but they also get the benefit of being with humans. Vampires enjoy being with humans in even passive situations,” said Bill. “Humans smell good, we enjoy the sounds of your body, your heartbeats and breathing, the sounds of your blood running. When you are relaxed like now, vampires can smell your body changes and it is very enjoyable. Same thing with bars, especially with dancing. Your heartbeats are racing, you are sweating and your endorphins are up and you smell spicier and your temperature is up.”

                “Are you hungry all the time?” asked Richard.

                “No, at first you are,” said Bill. “But as you mature, you control yourself.”

                “How do vampires pass for human?” asked Richard.

                “We mime things you do. We mime drinking by putting our lips to glasses and setting them down. They smoke. I could always tell if a human were feeling as though I was not quite right and I would light a cigarette and that seemed to put people at ease. I mean, who would suspect a vampire would smoke?”

                “I certainly wouldn’t,” said Richard.

                “You forget, we were you, we forget little things, but we can still mimic you,” said Bill.

                Latesta stood there as De Castro read the letter he took from the Stackhouse screen door. His eyes were greedy, reading the neatly written sentences. It was written with a quill and ink by someone who was getting pretty good at using it but was still working at it. She speaks of mundane things, the house she lives in, the baby she gave birth to, the boy and the vampires Bill and Eric and she asks after Michele and the baby and all the people she knew in Bon Temps. She does not ever mention where she is.  There is nothing to indicate she is anywhere but somewhere in this world.

                “And you say you took this from Jason Stackhouse’s porch?” asked De Castro.

                “Yes,” said Latesta. He looked at the letter again.

                “And she had a baby?” asked De Castro.

                “Yes,” said Latesta. “Apparently she was pregnant by some man she met, a man who worked at the library in cataloging.”

                “Did Bill and Eric know she was pregnant?” asked De Castro.

                “In a police report they gave after her house exploded to Andy Bellefleur and according to our other source, Eric was the one who told her she was pregnant to begin with, that he heard the baby in her. Apparently it is something he is very attuned to,” said Latesta.

                “There is a reason for that,” said De Castro. “He likes eating pregnant women. Are there other letters?”

                “It seems like this is not the only letter to Jason,” said Latesta. “I have no proof this is the case, but the letter just seemed like a continuation of an ongoing correspondence.”

                “Search his house,” said De Castro. “I want to know where they are hiding that woman and I want the boy and the babe.”

                “Yes, sir,” said Latesta. “I’m on it.”

                New Years Eve day was controlled chaos. Rachel had been chagrinned when her dad took Bill to Fangtasia for what he promised to be a wild time. Rachel knew her dad’s idea of a good time out with the boys might comprise of a couple beers and a rousing argument about state’s rights. She once bought him a tee shirt with the legend ‘Born to be Mild’ on it. What she did not know was Eric had imported three dancers from the Seven Veils and he had closed the bar to regular customers and invited Jason and Alcide and Andy and Sam and a few others to join them in a vampire stag party.  As a result, Bill brought Richard home a little drunk and helped Celeste pour him into bed and then Celeste kicked Bill out of his own room and made him sleep in a guest room and Celeste shared the bed with her daughter.

Richard had wakened that New Years Eve day with a mild hangover and Bill slept the day away without his wife to be.

                Sky appeared and regaled the girls with an account of the evening’s events, which were pretty tame by vampire standards but pretty wild by human standards. The women paid an inordinate amount of attention to the groom and Pam and India took pictures of him sitting there with two of the dancers sitting on his lap and Bill smiling his closed mouth smile. Rachel was a good sport and laughed at them when Pam sent them to her cell phone.

                The caterers busily set up the tables and prepared the treats in the kitchen and set up the small wedding cake. The table serving as an altar was decorated with a white cloth and red candles and white silk poinsettias. The cup and dagger was there on the center of the table.  Rachel took a few minutes to explain what her parents would see in the ceremony, which would be both a human ceremony with vows and a ring exchange and a vampire ceremony with a blood exchange with the tiny dagger and miniature chalice.  

                Then Rachel ate her supper and went upstairs to dress. She bathed and put on the delicate under things Eric and Sky had found for her in New York and she slid into the dress. Rachel sat down and slipped into her satin shoes with the Queen Elizabeth heel and then sat still while Immanuel from Death by Fashion came in and did her hair in an elaborate braided design in the front and the rest of her hair long and straight. She fought him on the makeup but let him do her eyes a little and her lips. When he left, she put in her diamond and pearl earrings, a gift from her parents and Bill’s mother’s pearls.

                “Is Bill awake yet mom?” she asked.

                “Yes,” said Celeste. “He is dressed and having his supper.”

                “How does he look?” asked Rachel.

                “His same handsome self, all dressed up in a blue suit and red tie, talking to Eric,” said her mother. Sky came in. She was wearing a crocheted dress in pearl grey.

                “I love that dress Sky,” said Rachel.

                “Thanks,” said Sky. “You look beautiful. Everyone is here and everyone is beginning to take their places. I came to help you with your veil and take you out to the landing to walk down with your dad.”

                “How is he doing?” asked Rachel.

                “He is fine,” said Sky. “He is cooling his heels just outside your door.” She picked up the veil, set it on Rachel’s head, and pinned it carefully through one of her braids with a pearl tipped hatpin. She went to get Richard. “When you get to the altar, after you give her to Bill, you turn and take the veil and carefully lift it, so her face is exposed.”

                “I think I have it,” he said. “You look wonderful. I can see why he fell in love with you.”

                “Are you ready?” she asked.

                “If Bill were a breathing man, I would say you would take his breath away,” said Richard. Rachel suppressed a giggle and they stepped out of her bedroom.

                Eric looked dignified in a wine colored sweater and slacks as he intoned the service and Bill and Rachel exchanged vows and then rings and then blood. Rachel put her arms around Bill’s neck and he leaned down and kissed her. At long last, she was his and he was hers. She was Mrs. Rachel Compton, Bill’s wife.

                They spent a couple of hours with their friends and family. Sam and Luna and Jason and Michele and Alcide and Kandice, whom Rachel suspected was now wrapped up in more than one way with the handsome pack master. Pam and India were ecstatic and they congratulated Bill and Rachel finally and calmly becoming man and wife.

                She and Bill cut the cake and Bill fed her a piece then kissed her to taste the rich butter cream icing. She ate a piece and drank a sip of champagne and Bill drank a bottle of Imperial with Eric.  “You finally did it. Now both the girls are protected,” said Eric.

                “They are,” said Bill.

                “Enjoy the night. My sources say we are going to get calls through our day people and we will leave tomorrow night,” said Eric.

                “Damn,” he said.

                “I have already warned Sky,” said Eric.

                “I have warned Rachel,” said Bill.  “Hopefully we will be home the next night.”

                “If we are lucky,” said Eric. “Go and claim your wife Bill. Love her and feel everything about her. It may be your last chance.”

                “What will you be doing?” asked Bill.

                “The same thing,” said Eric.

                Bill finally managed to steer his wife away from her friends and family to carry her upstairs at vampire speed and take her to their room. Sky had lit some candles and put some fresh flowers out and left a bottle of champagne chilling on the side table. Bill held her and kissed her for all he was worth and she held on to him tightly. She pulled away and reached up and took out the pin holding her veil in place and laid it on the bed bench. She then took off the pearls and her earrings. “Are you going to just stand there Bill, or are you going to undress?” she asked.

                “I want to watch you, unwrapping yourself for me,” he said, his voice throaty and thick. She smiled and walked to him.

 “Will you unbutton and unzip me?” She turned around and pulled her hair away and he carefully unbuttoned and unzipped her. She walked away and slid the dress down and stepped out of it. His mouth opened and his fangs extended. The shear under things she was wearing was delicately embroidered with gold in tiny vines and roses. Bill began to undress and she went to help him. She took his coat off him and folded it carefully on the bench. When she came back, Bill had taken off his tie and was untucking his shirt and undoing his pants. She opened his shirt and kissed his chest and rubbed her face on the soft pelt of chest hair and kissed his nipples. She helped him with his pants and he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his pants and underwear at the same time. She put her hands on his chest and he pulled her against him, the silk of her under things smooth against his skin. He kissed her deeply and slid his hands down to pull the nearly invisible shift off her and it wafted down like a ghost to the floor.

He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her gently on the mattress and then carefully slid her panties down. He looked at her and she looked at him. Her huge unearthly pewter eyes looked at him. “You look like an angel,” she said.

“So do you,” he said. He sat down on the edge of the bed and slid his hand over her. “Mine.”

Rachel sat up and smoothed her hand over his chest to his belly.

                “Mine,” she said. He kissed her and laid her back down and slid between her legs and found her ready for him. He slid into her slowly and felt her hips flex against him, taking him inside her.  She put her arms around him and nipped his neck.

                “Bite down sweetheart,” he said. “Strengthen the bond with me.” She kissed his skin tentatively and then bit down hard and felt her mouth fill. He pulled her up on his lap and snugged her against him, sheathing himself deep inside her as she drank his blood. He moved her back and forth gently against him and she held on, dizzy with his blood. She pushed the feeling back to him in the bond and he kissed her neck. She put her hand on the back of his head and pressed him down to her and he kissed her again and bit down. She jerked against him squeezing him inside her with her pleasure, coming hard and holding on to him as he drank her blood. He then sent her the pleasure back through their bond, imitating her. He laid her back on the bed and moved purposefully now.

                “Harder Bill,” she said. “Please baby, have me.” He moved harder, still maintaining control of himself so he would not be too rough. She was moving with him, his blood making her stronger and the love hotter. He made her come and then before she could gather herself up he had rolled them over and she was on top of him. She shivered with pleasure and he held her close to him.

                “Are you okay?” he sighed. She answered him with a kiss and she began to move. He put his hands on her hips and she sat up and circled her hips and he flexed his hips to her. She put her hand on his belly and steadied herself. “Slow angel, slow.” She slowed and moved against him, taking long and steady movements. Bill relaxed and felt her, her heat, the contraction of her muscles against him and her hands on his body. He sat up again and he flicked her long hair away and pressed her to him and he took in her nipples, first one and then the other, sucking and licking and nipping. She pulled his head back and kissed him and he kissed her hard, consuming her mouth. She began to come again and he looked at her, deep into her eyes as she moved on automatic. He pushed and pulled her against him and she cried out and came. He laid down and then twisted back on top of her and he began to move to his own orgasm. She wrapped her legs around him and her arms around his neck and he began to spiral into a hot pool of pleasure. He screamed out and she arched her back hard and he pressed hard against her. He lay against her and breathed deep and hard.

                “Are you okay?” she asked in her small soft voice.

                “I love you,” he panted. He slid away but did not let go of her. They lay contented against each other and even slept a little and woke and made love again.

                “Eric, what is wrong lover? The bond is practically a live wire,” said Sky. He was holding her against him, she straddling his waist.

                “We are going to get a message during the day, to our day people to fly to Nevada tomorrow night,” said Eric.

                “So soon,” she said, stroking his tousled hair back.

                “Yes,” he said.

                “Promise me,” she said.

                “I can’t,” he said. “Just remember where my money is and don’t tell anyone you have it. Take it and leave. Leave the country. Try to convince Rachel to do the same thing.”

                “You have to promise,” she said. Her eyes were filling with tears but she was fighting them.  Eric felt extremely proud of her.

                “I can promise you to try,” he said.

                “It’s not good enough,” she said. A tear slid down her face and she turned her head so he would not see it.

                “It’s the best I can give you,” he said.

                “Make love to me again,” she said.

                “Rachel?” he said.

                “Hum?” she said. She cuddled closer to Bill.

                “Rachel, I have to go to Nevada tomorrow night,” he said. She turned over on her back and stared at the ceiling. “Sweetheart?”

                “You should have told me,” she said.

                “Would it have made this any better?” asked Bill.

                “No,” she said. She curled back against him. “Make love to me again.”

                “Sweetheart, you are tired and I might hurt you,” he said.

                “Then at least I will feel you, where you were inside me, if something happens to you,” she said.

                “I promise to come home if I can,” he said.

                “Make love with me again Bill,” she said, her hand sliding down to him and finding him awake to her. She pulled him on top of her and he did as she asked.

                The next morning, while Rachel was sleeping snuggled against her groom’s prone body still in his day sleep, and Sky was showering for the day while her husband and the Regent of Louisiana slept peacefully in their darkened room,  Danny Prideaux was checking his messages at Kennedy’s house. She was making him breakfast burritos talking about what they had decided about the wedding stuff. “Shit me!” he said.

                “What’s the matter?” she asked, in the middle of rolling his sausage and scrambled eggs and tomatoes and green onions and cheese burrito.

                “That big time vamp wants Bill in Nevada. I am to make air reservations,” said Danny.

                “Well, call his wife and tell her. She can help you,” said Kennedy. “Then I want you to quit Bill, I don’t want you in this shit.”

                “Me being in this shit has made it possible for me to afford this wedding you and Luna and Michele are planning,” said Danny sullenly.

                “Well, eat breakfast. I have to work the lunch shift at Merlotte’s,” said Kennedy. “And call Rachel. Tell her to get off her princess ass and help you.”

                Rachel was a little sore when she slid out of bed. She went to the bathroom and cleaned herself up and used some herbal cream and changed clothes. Her cell phone went off. It was Danny.

                “Did you get the call Danny?” she asked right away.

                “Yes,” he said. “How did you know?”

                “Bill told me,” she said. “Don’t worry about anything; I will make the reservations on Anubis.”

                “Thanks for your help,” said Danny.

                “Not a problem. Make sure you call me if you get any more calls from this day guy,” said Rachel. “And text Bill’s phone so he knows you spoke to me and I made the reservations.”

                “Okay,” said Danny. “Is he in trouble?”

                “Well, it is important, the person he is seeing and there must be something up,” said Rachel.

                “Okay,” said Danny.

                “I have to go and make my calls,” said Rachel.

                “Have a good day Mrs. Compton.”

                Sky called her a few minutes later. Khan had gotten the same call. “Let me make the reservations for the both of them. They can have royal seating and they will be seated together. If we call separately, there is a chance they may be on different flights and we don’t want them separated. They have a better chance if they are together and they have to fight their way out.”

                “That’s a good idea,” said Rachel. “Call me and send me the flight information.”

                “I will email you the information and you can print it out for Bill,” said Sky. “Do you think we should pack them a bag?”

                “I don’t know. I guess we could,” said Rachel.

                “Okay, they can decide whether or not to take them,” said Sky. “Rach, they will be okay.”

                “Come and stay with me. My parents are here for one more night, and I just…I need someone who knows what is going on to be here. I just…I want someone who understands when I feel the link disappear.”

                “I will definitely pack a bag for myself then,” said Sky. “Rachel, do you have a gun in the house?”

                “Bill has a couple of shot guns and a pistol here,” she said. “I have some ammo too.”

                “Eric has a sawed off and a pistol,” said Sky. “I will bring them with me. Do you know how to shoot?”

                “I am the only child of a southern father…I went to the firing range once a month since I was nine,” she said. Sky laughed. “You too?”

                “The only thing I can thank my no good daddy for,” said Sky. “Be there at sundown.”

                “Okay,” she said.

                Rachel felt better when she began to move. She at least was not being passive. Her mother and father woke and her mother went about making fried apples and biscuits. Richard was watching his daughter. “Rachel, what is happening?”

                “Bill has been ordered to see his king in Nevada,” said Rachel.

                “So soon, he just got married? And what King?” asked Richard.

                “Dad, the US is divided into kingdoms. The king of this state is a vampire in Nevada. He is the king of Nevada, Arkansas, and Oklahoma as well as Louisiana,” said Rachel. “Eric is his regent, he rules the state on his behalf.”

                “And Bill is like the vice president?” asked Richard.

                “That will do as an explanation,” said Rachel. “This king is not our friend and my husband and Sky’s husband may be walking into the true death.”

                “So why did you marry Bill?” asked Richard.

                “Because I love him dad,” said Rachel. “I wanted to have his name. I have a blood bond with him and my marriage to him gives me a little protection, but Bill will soon be out of my range of feeling him. Sky is staying with us, we are afraid there may be trouble.”

                “Is this house secure?” asked Richard.

                “This house is a fortress,” said Rachel.

                “Well, then we better be ready,” said Richard.

                “We will be,” said Rachel. “I need some help. I need to call some people.”

                “Have breakfast first,” said Celeste.

               

                Sky made the reservations for Bill and Eric and paid with her bottomless credit card. She had the tickets couriered to the house. She then sent Rachel the details in an email. Rachel emailed back to ask her to help call the vampires and the shifters and weres to keep their eyes open. With the boys gone, they would have to look out for each other. Khan helped her. Everyone was ready and on the lookout for any strange vampires or the Take Back the Night gang. Khan had agreed this was a good thing to do. Alcide called and promised to send some weres to patrol Rachel’s house that night.

               

                By the time Eric and Bill were awake, they found their women were extremely organized.

                “Rachel sweetheart, calm down a little bit,” he said. He held her. “I doubt he will hurt us right now. He wants us to do something.”

                “I know,” she said. “Sky and I got your reservations, and the tickets are at Eric’s house.”

                “Okay darling,” said Bill. “Sky will be here for her safety.”

                “We called everyone to be careful,” said Rachel.

                “How did you call?” asked Bill.

                “With your phone, you told me it was encrypted,” I said.

                “Good girl,” said Bill. “Now, you know where my money is.”

                “I know,” she said.

                “If anything happens, I want you and Sky to take the money and leave, go overseas if you must, take your parents as well,” he said.

                “I will,” she said. “But promise to try to come back.”

                “I promise,” he said.

                “I packed you a bag,” she said.

                “I won’t need it,” said Bill. “The only thing I am taking is this.” He opened his coat and there was the Arkansas toothpick clipped on his hip, hidden by his coat. “No one searches royalty on the flights.”

                “Be careful, my husband,” she said.

                “I will,” he said. There was a knock on the door. It was Eric with Sky. He opened the door and let them in.

                “If Rachel has been as busy as Sky you are more than ready,” said Eric.

                “I am,” he said.

                “Thank you for sheltering Sky in your home,” said Eric.

                “It is my honor,” said Bill. He turned to Rachel and kissed her. “I love you.”

                “I love you,” she said.

                Sky and Eric had said their goodbyes already and Eric and Bill disappeared into the darkness.