Chapter 2
The next thing I knew I was being dragged off Victor by the two Weres, who had not been quick enough to prevent me marking his face with my nails. He had a nice red slash down one cheek, which of course faded as I watched, but the shock in his eyes told me I had got a good one home. I was spitting and kicking and cursing and fighting like a wildcat to get at the person who I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, had framed my lover. Of course, the Weres prevented me from reaching him but I had the satisfaction of seeing him recoil as I lashed out with my stiletto and just missed carving him a new navel. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the wave of burning homicidal rage receded, and left in its place a cold fury, combined with an icy determination to destroy the smug little shit in front of me if it was the last thing I did.
I stopped struggling and stood still, panting and trembling. I stared unblinkingly at Victor’s face, fixing his image in my mind and pasting it into my mental scrapbook of people I was going to send to hell.
“Miss Stackhouse, will you please be reasonable? I realise what a shock this must be for you, but there is much that we have to discuss.”
From inside my cocoon of ice, I answered in a calm, if somewhat breathless voice, “very well Mr Madden. What do you wish to discuss with me?”
“Well,” He gestured towards the lighted cell where the guards were replacing the bloodstained whips on the table and Eric’s head had fallen forward again. Of course, he wasn’t aware of the scene on the catwalk. “I would like to help you resolve this unfortunate situation, if I possibly can.” Unfortunate situation! A hundred furious, sarcastic answers rose to my lips, and I thrust them all down. This was way too serious for indulging myself with smart-alec remarks; every brain-cell and faculty I had needed to be focussed on securing Eric’s release.
“First, I’m leaving. I can’t possibly discuss business here.” I looked up at the Weres who were still holding my elbows. “Do you mind?” I said coldly. They looked at Victor who nodded and they released me. I straightened my clothes, and patted my hair back into place. Then I looked at one of them and said, “My brooch, please.” I spoke with such authority that he swung himself over the railing and reached down to retrieve the small red circlet from the glass below us. He could just reach it and he hauled himself back up and handed it to me. I took it with a curt word of thanks and re-pinned it on my jacket. While my head was bent over the tiny fastening my eyes were seeking out Eric in his cell. Suddenly I stiffened. Oh no. One guard was standing behind him, forcing his head up, while the other one was undoing the zip on his pants, grinning sadistically. I couldn’t bear to watch whatever was going to happen next down there, so I swiftly swung round to face Victor again, who by the look on his face didn’t have a clue what was going to happen next up here. Good. I wanted to keep him on the hop.
“Right,” I said. Let’s get out of here.” I turned and began to stride back towards the entrance, my heels clicking authoritatively on the metal beneath my feet. Victor and the two bodyguards trailed after me as I reached the door and banged on it imperatively. The Were outside opened the door and I marched straight out into the hall before turning towards the elevator doors. I said over my shoulder, “I am going back to my room. You may join me there in thirty minutes.”
He hurried to catch me up and tried to re-capture the initiative.
“Miss Stackhouse, I must warn you that this is a very serious matter. You would do well to think carefully before…” his voice trailed away as I turned swiftly to face him.
“Mr Madden, please don’t waste my time. I know perfectly well that you have done this to Eric so that you can exert some sort of leverage over me. You have a proposal to put to me? I repeat. You may come to my room in thirty minutes.” The elevator door opened and I stepped inside. He began to follow me into the empty elevator but I stepped forward, filling the entrance. “Full up,” I snarled, and he jumped back. The door closed and I rode up the one short flight to the ground level.
I held myself together while I found my room. Then I locked myself in and threw myself on the bed and let the tears come. My mind filled with the image of my Eric on his knees, wounded, chained, filthy, at the mercy of brutal guards. It was strange but I realised that what was hurting me almost more than anything was the shocking sight of his shaved head. His glorious mane of golden hair was so much a part of him that he almost wasn’t Eric without it. No wonder I hadn’t recognised him at first.
As I wept, I could feel the new, icy Sookie watching me. I could hear her saying, “you’ve got ten minutes to get this out of your system, girl, then you will get smart.” I stumbled to the bathroom and found some tissues to mop my face. Then I sat on the stool in front of the mirror and looked at myself. First things first, repair my make-up. I was not going to let that son-of-a-bitch see that I had been crying. I set to work with cleanser, wiping away the mascara and eyeliner that had run, then I applied fresh foundation, blusher and lip-gloss and re-did my eyes. I could hear Eric’s voice laughingly referring to my war paint. My hand trembled, but then I had it under control. No sentiment! No whining! Above all, no self-pity! This is not about you, girl, this is about Eric. You will do whatever it takes to save him. I banished the image of him in that cell, naked under the torturers’ whips; if I thought about it I would break down and that would be of no use to him.
As I sat on that stool and stared into the mirror, I started to gather my resources together. I thought of my Gran. She had always said that any woman is strong enough to do whatever she has to do. I held that thought, and rummaged in my soul for every last bit of courage, determination, strength and cunning that I had, and I built it all into a new personality. Then I thought. Hard. In ten minutes, I had formulated my strategy, in fifteen I was making phone-calls and in twenty minutes I unlocked the door, ready for Victor Madden.
When he knocked I called out “Come!” just as my old head teacher used to in Junior High. It was the most offensive way I could think of to admit him. He opened the door and I stared at him as insultingly as I possibly could. He moved to enter and I held up my hand. “You can leave Laurel and Hardy outside.” I gestured to his Were guards. He hesitated, but eventually he came in alone and closed the door, looking round for somewhere to sit. I smiled inwardly. I was seated in the only chair in the room. I had moved the other seats into the bathroom, so he was forced to stand in front of me. I inspected him in silence while I counted to ten, and then I said, “well?” That put the ball very firmly in his court, while putting him equally firmly in his place.
“Miss Stackhouse, I want to assure you that I am as distressed as you about this entire affair…” I cut him off with a gesture.
“Firstly, Mr Madden, you will address me by my married name; Secondly, I am not remotely interested in your distress. Now cut to the chase.”
I had completely wrong-footed him. He had thought he would find a distraught little human who could be easily cowed. He did not know the Stackhouse women. He tried to stare me down, using that peculiar vampire gaze, which can be so unnerving when you know yourself to be the sole focus of their attention, but I had been stared at by better vampires than him and I held his gaze. He paused briefly, gathering the threads of his argument, and then began again.
“I am sure you realise the difficult position that Mr Northman is in, Miss Stackhouse…” I raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon. Mrs Northman. As I said, your, er, husband has been found guilty of treason, and he will be sentenced tomorrow. The penalty will undoubtedly be final death.” He stressed the last two words, hoping they would get through to me. He didn’t know I had disconnected my heart for the time being. My brain, however, was functioning like a Ferrari and that is what I was relying on.
“However, his majesty might be persuaded to remit the death sentence under certain circumstances.” He paused expectantly, but I remained silent. He coughed, slightly nervously, and continued. “We are all aware of your remarkable abilities as a telepath, and I am sure you can imagine how very useful such a skill could be to the king. If you would be willing to use your talents in his service, I am sure I could persuade him to exercise leniency in the case of Mr Northman.”
I again waited for ten seconds before I answered him.
“I am pledged to Mr Northman. You will have to address your request to him.” He looked cunning for a moment. He had expected something of this kind.
“Ah, but pledges can be set aside.” Damn, I hadn’t known that. I raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue.
“Did Mr Northman not mention this to you? Very understandable, I’m sure.” His voice was now silky. I didn’t respond. I was finding silence my most useful weapon. Eric had taught me this trick. He had explained that there were some people who were naturally uncomfortable with silence, and felt a need to fill the gaps with their own voice. Victor was one of these. Eric said that he often learned things to his advantage that way, so I waited, and sure enough Victor gave me the information without my having to ask for it.
“A pledge can be dissolved by the consent of both partners,” he said. “If Mr Northman agrees, then you would be free to seek employment wherever you chose without reference to him. We could offer you an extremely attractive package, Mrs Northman, with a great many benefits; you would not regret it.”
Could you believe this guy? One minute he was talking about executing my bonded and the next he wanted to discuss health insurance and pension rights?
“What if I refuse my consent to dissolving the pledge?”
“Then, regrettably, justice will take its course, and tomorrow’s sunset will be Mr Northman’s last. Of course, that is only figuratively speaking. In fact, Mr Northman will live for many days and nights before his final death. And he will desire it long before he is granted it. His majesty is particularly adept at devising imaginative methods of putting someone to death. Indeed, I believe he served with some distinction in the Spanish Inquisition. And of course, as the wife of a traitor, you would be required by law to watch the execution. All of it. As I recall, the king’s last victim survived for over six months.” His tone was gloatingly unpleasant, and I nearly shuddered, but I forced my feelings to one side. I would not permit him to see any weakness.
“And if I agree to work for the king, what will happen to my husband?”
“He will be banished.”
“From Louisiana?”
“From America. He will be free to take up his abode in any country other than the USA. His majesty will even provide him with a one-way plane ticket to any destination of his choosing. He would of course be forbidden to have any contact with any of his former colleagues, associates, employees, friends, partners, acquaintances or progeny, on pain of final death for all involved.”
So I would never see my love again. He would live, but without me. Don’t think about it, Sookie.
“What about Area Five?”
“His majesty would appoint a new sheriff.” No prizes for guessing who that would turn out to be.
“And Fangtasia and Mr Northman’s other business interests?”
“All Mr Northman’s property would revert to the king, to be disposed of as he sees fit.”
My mind worked fast. “Would all that be included in the sentence the king is due to pass tomorrow night?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“Very well. Do you have anything more to say?”
“I would like to hear your answer Miss…Mrs Northman.” I took a deep breath. This is where my fight-back began.
“Firstly, before I even begin to consider your proposal there are a few things I want.” He raised an eyebrow. He thought he had me over a barrel. We would see.
“Such as?”
“A meal, to begin with. I’m starving. I assume you do have human food in this place?”
Victor was startled at my sudden change in direction. He had been braced to resist all kinds of hysterical demands, but had not expected something on a purely human level. Thanks again, Eric. My lover was a martial arts expert, and had explained to me the principle of using your opponent’s own momentum against him by a sudden lack of resistance in one area while applying pressure elsewhere. According to him, this applied in negotiation as much as in physical fighting, and it looked like he was right.
Victor blinked. “Er…I believe so.”
I kept up the pressure. “Right. What have you got?”
“I don’t know…”
“Then find out. I can’t make decisions on an empty stomach. Is there a menu of some sort? What do your human employees do? Is there a kitchen somewhere on this floor? Or a staff canteen? What time does it close? is it a self-service one? What about coffee? I need caffeine.” I bombarded him with apparently trivial questions, keeping him on the back foot, never giving him a chance to stop and think. Then I shifted my ground.
“Secondly, I want complete, guaranteed, freedom of movement in this place. You can send a Were with me if you really want to, but I will not tolerate being confined in any way while I consider your offer. Thirdly, my lawyer is currently in the building and will be with me very shortly. (Hah! that surprised him). I expect you to provide me with a suitable conference room in which to consult with him. Fourthly, I get to visit Eric, alone, tonight, with no surveillance, and fifthly his “educative regime” stops immediately. Non-negotiable. If you can’t do these simple things, then I will not even consider your proposal, and you can get out right now.” I stared him straight in the eye. See how that will go down with the king, you little bastard. If you don’t agree, you’ll have to tell him you failed at the first hurdle, and he’ll kick your self-satisfied butt from here to the moon.
His mouth fell open under the onslaught of my words, and he tried to pull himself together. His voice became menacing in tone and he showed a little fang.
“Mrs Northman, I don’t think you realise that you are in no position to make demands.”
My own voice grew menacing to match his.
“Mr Madden, I don’t think you realise that if my husband is executed, I would regrettably become so deranged with grief that my telepathy would be completely unreliable, and consequently of no use whatsoever to the king.”
“What?” That had shaken him.
“Oh yes,” I smiled. “It’s happened to me in the past. When my grandmother was murdered it was months before I could guarantee reliability in my readings. I might well get nine out of ten right, but you would have no way of knowing which was the wrong one. And it might lead to some very…expensive …mistakes.” There was no doubting the meaning behind my words. I could really screw the king over. If he couldn’t rely on my readings, I was useless to him. I applied a little more pressure. “and of course, when I did recover my abilities, I would never be able to stay in Louisiana with all its sad memories. I’d have to relocate to, say…Mississippi? I have acquaintances there, and I’m sure I’d have no difficulty finding work.” Victor knew I was referring to Russell Edgington, a rival vampire king. And he also knew that if Russell obtained my services, Felipe would never forgive him. He swallowed convulsively.
“Ah.” He wasn’t quite sure what to say now. I waited for him to make an excuse and leave, so that he would have a chance to think about my terms. “I’ll have to go and consult with…I’ll arrange to have some food sent in straight away.” He fumbled for the door handle and I smiled sweetly. “Thank you so much, Mr Madden.” Then he was gone, and my smile was no longer so sweet.
I checked my watch. Mr Cataliades, the demon lawyer, had recently opened an office in Vegas, and when I had called it earlier, I had really lucked out. They told me he was already in the palace, attending a hearing (of course, the Assizes! Where else would the best Supe lawyer in the country be right now?). They gave me his cellphone number, and he had been delighted to hear from me and had promised to be with me the instant his current case wrapped up. That was such a relief. He had heard about Eric, but vampire confidentiality rules were the strictest around, and there was no way he would have been allowed to call me. Now that I had called him and engaged his services for myself and Eric, that was a different matter.
I decided a little pre-emptive strike might not be a bad idea, so I strolled along to the reception area and sat on one of the little benches that were scattered around among the potted plants. I picked up a newspaper and glanced through it, but I wasn’t really concentrating on it. I was focussing on the young man at the desk. His mind was wide open, and contained some very interesting information. It didn’t take me long to learn that he hated this job, he was only doing it because it helped pay his tuition fees at college, and he really hated the way the vampires and Weres treated him as though he was something they’d trodden in. He wasn’t very old, and wasn’t very sure of himself, and like a lot of young guys all he really wanted was to be treated as though he mattered. Just to be noticed. I could do that.
I walked over to his desk turning on the Southern charm. I checked his name tag and said,
“Hi Paul. How are you all doing? Warm night, isn’t it?”
“Good evening, ma’am,” he stammered slightly. “Can I help you?”
“Could you tell me where I could get some food around here, please?”
“Certainly, ma’am. There’s the canteen straight along that passage, there. ” He pointed for me, and I smiled my thanks.
“So, Paul, have you worked here long?” I kept my gaze on him, looking as interested and as pleasant as I possibly could. I really did feel sorry for him. All he was, was lonely, and I knew all about that. I listened to his hesitant answers, and smiled, and gradually he loosened up a little, and began to smile back. There was no hint of anything sexual in his mind, he was just glad to have someone to talk to.
After a while I glanced at my watch and said,
“Listen, Paul, can you do me a favour? Do you know Victor Madden?”
“Well, I know what he looks like,” he said cautiously.
“Did he come through here not long ago?”
“Yes ma’am, he went through to the canteen.”
“Well, he’s going to be coming back in a little while. When you see him, could you wait exactly five minutes and then phone me in room G27, please? When I answer, would you just say, ‘Mrs Northman, your taxi’s here.’?”
“Taxi?” There was confusion in his face.
I smiled conspiratorially and leaned over to whisper, “I don’t know about you, Paul, but I’m sick of these vamps taking us humans for granted, and that Victor Madden is one guy I would love to put in his place. He’s been messing with me all evening, and I want to mess with him just this once. He’s been treating me like dirt, and I need to show him he can’t treat people like that. Would you help me? Please?” I turned up my smile some.
His expression changed, and he said. “Sure. I wait five minutes after I see him, then call you in G-27 and tell you your taxi’s here. That’s all?”
“Yup. That’s perfect. Thanks, Paul. You’re a really sweet guy.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”
“Call me Sookie. Talk to you later.” I smiled again and headed back to my room.
First, I re-packed my bags. I had to make this look real. Then I started thinking through some of the things Victor had told me, making a list of queries for Mr Cataliades on a steno pad I’d found in the nightstand. I really didn’t like the idea of dissolving my pledge with Eric, but I couldn’t see a way round it; as far as I knew it was the only thing protecting me from being annexed by another vamp, specifically Victor. I had a good idea he would try to form a blood-bond with me the instant he could, and I would do almost anything to avoid being bonded to that creep. I realised I didn’t know if it was even possible to have another bond on top of the one I already had with Eric. That was really weak now, so could it be over-ridden? I put it on my list of questions. I really hoped the food would arrive soon; I hadn’t been bluffing when I told Victor I was starving.
Ten minutes later he was back. He had a young Were in tow, carrying a tray of sandwiches and Hallelujah! a pot of coffee. He introduced the Were as Ramon, and said he would be my bodyguard during my stay here. I smiled pleasantly at Ramon, who was medium height and wiry, and I thanked him for the sandwiches, offering him one. I needed him on my side. He said no, but at least he was polite. A point in his favour. He took up his post immediately outside my door, while I talked to Madden. Or rather, I allowed Madden to talk.
First, he handed me a new keycard. “This will allow you to access all areas, Mrs Northman, except for the fifth floor. I have also set up conference facilities in Room 14 on the third floor for you and your lawyer.” An expression of false regret came over his face, and I knew that this was going to be the sticking point. “Regrettably, your request to visit your husband cannot be granted without the express permission of the king. RP Eight prisoners are not permitted visitors. Similarly, as he is effectively a royal detainee, only his majesty can make alterations to his regime. I’m truly sorry, but the matter is out of my hands.”
Truly sorry my lily-white ass. I had expected him to call my bluff. Unfortunately for him, I was not bluffing. On cue, the room phone rang. I answered it
“Hello?”
“This is reception, Mrs Northman. Your taxi is here.”
“Thank you. I’ll be right out”
I replaced the receiver and turned back to Victor, who I knew had heard every word, with his vampire hearing. Looking at the expression on his face, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“Please excuse me, Mr Madden. I have to complete my packing.” I started looking round the room as though checking that I had got everything.
“You can’t leave…” I whipped round and glared at him.
“Oh can’t I? I think you’ll find that my lawyer says I can. Have you ever done business with Mr Cataliades, Mr Madden?” The expression on his face told me that he had. I glanced at my watch. “He’s gonna be knocking on that door in about three minutes, and I don’t think he’ll take very kindly to you telling me I can’t leave when I want to. That’s called kidnapping in this country. Now, I told you, if you can give me what I want, I’ll talk to you. If you can’t, we have nothing further to discuss. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.” I turned away from him and began snapping the locks on my case.
“I…I cannot possibly interrupt his majesty at the moment. He is giving audience to some very important people.”
“I thought you were a very important person, Mr Madden. As the king’s lieutenant, you have the right of access at all times. Don’t you?” I knew this from Eric’s lectures in vampire hierarchy and politics. I had found them a major yawn at the time, but what do you know? Something from them had actually came in useful. I guess I should thank my honey yet again.
“Well, yes…”
“Then access him. The meter’s ticking on my taxi, and as soon as my lawyer arrives we are out of here unless I see some movement on my demands, and then it’s bye-bye Louisiana, hello Mississippi. Is that clear?” I was so close. I was not going to back down now. He hesitated, and I glanced at my watch again. That seemed to decide him, and he backed to the door, fumbling for the handle.
“I’ll see what I can do…”
“You do that.” I turned away, apparently dismissing him from my thoughts. He really was pathetic. He always had to use other people to do his dirty work for him; he himself seemed incapable of direct action. I’ll bet when he was young he was the kind of dirty little sneak who hung around the big kids in the schoolyard, telling tales and toadying up to them, living in their shadow but amounting to almost nothing on his own.
The door closed behind him, and I looked around to find myself alone again. I counted to thirty before allowing myself to heave a sigh of relief. I wanted him well out of earshot before I admitted to myself how close I had come to caving. Well, that was my first real test of strength, and I had got through it. I was quite sure he would be back with everything I had required before too long.
I ate some more of the sandwiches while I waited for Mr Cataliades, and poured myself a strong cup of coffee, black and sweet. I had a feeling I was really going to need it before the night was over.
Ericsminion aka AllAboutEric 