Alpha

Chapter 9

Fucking Faerie

**

Adele and Linda acted as though they forgot Sookie and I were at the house as soon as I showed them that I’d brought a completely translated Codex for them to read. They looked like conjoined twins as they shared a chair to loom over the journal and coo about how I’d written the translations backwards and mimicked DaVinci’s handwriting…

As I drove to Jason’s house, I reached over and untied Sookie’s bikini top twice before she thought to pull her hair over the bow to keep me from reaching the strings so easily… and all the while, she acted as though she was angry with me… But she wasn’t angry, she was fearful to the extent her mood was bordering on paranoia.

I hadn’t given her any reason to be afraid of me. Unless she knew what I was, there wasn’t any excuse for her behavior.

I wanted answers… I’d had enough…

“I’m not sure I want to go to a keg party when I don’t drink and my date seems set on pretending to be annoyed.”

“Who says I’m pretending?”

“Then would you care to explain what it is that you’re annoyed by or should I guess?”

She eyed me steadily and answered, “Why don’t you guess?”

I nodded. “Alright. Do you want me to take you to your brother’s party or do you want to go home?”

She scoffed, “Excuse me?”

“I’m not interested in playing mind games. I’m not going to leave you on the side of the road. Where am I taking you?”

“You’d ditch me before you’d talk to me?”

“You don’t want to talk. You want me to guess. What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing. Nevermind. I don’t want to bicker. I’ll chill out. I’m probably just… nevermind…”

“I thought we discussed the loopholes.”

She huffed, “We did.”

“And your mood was fine before… How eventful was your shower?”

“It wasn’t… I’m… I’m sorry.”

I slowed the car enough to turn around as I told her, “Bullshit.”

“What?”

“I said ‘bullshit’, Sookie… It isn’t as though you know everything about me, but there have been more than a few hints, if not landmines, pointing to the fact you’re actually hiding something from me. I don’t like surprises.”

“Me? How about fishing for information while you were talking to Aunt Linda? What would you call that?”

“Impressive.”

“What’s impressive?”

“Since you were in the shower, I’m impressed you heard the conversation. And I wasn’t fishing… I was asking for clarification as to why Hadley would confide in a male cousin rather than a female. I didn’t realize I was in a minefield until the question was asked, but I still didn’t push the issue.”

“Thank you.”

We were nearly to her house before I untangled the insanity caused by her response… Thank you. Thank you? Her big fucking secret… what had been needling me like nothing else ever fucking had… and she assumed I’d drop it?

I tried to convince myself to cut my losses.

I tried to remind myself it might be as stupid for her to reveal herself as it would be for me.

I spent a few minutes talking myself out of glamour and intimidation again… and then a few more minutes incensed… Why the fuck wouldn’t I glamour or scare her? Both tactics were tried and fucking true.

**

As I pulled to a stop, I opened my mouth…

I’d resolved to explain what I was in an effort to coax her to be candid… and… if need be, glamour her afterwards.

But she opened her door, mumbling, “I should’ve known better,” and slid out of the car.

“Known better than what?”

She didn’t look back. “I’m sorry I wasted your time, Erik. I’ll send Aunt Linda out with your Codex.”

I was frozen, shocked and disappointed enough to still be standing in the gap of my open car door. “You honestly begrudge me for being curious about what you are?”

She stopped cold… staring at her feet for a moment before huffing, “You haven’t exactly been forthcoming either, Erik.”

“You know what I am?”

She shrugged as I walked towards her.

I repeated, “Known better than what?”

She sniffled, “It doesn’t matter…”

I put my hands on her shoulders and she still didn’t have a reaction to my cold skin. Knowing I wasn’t going to accomplish anything with hostility, I forced an even tone. “I’ll tell you when something doesn’t matter to me… Known better than what?”

“I should have known better than to try… Let’s just forget this ever happened, K?” That wasn’t going to happen. Obsessions can’t be turned off like light switches.

“Why won’t you just tell me what you are?”

“You still aren’t volunteering anything.”

I growled and actually took a deep breath. “I’m a Vampire. I know we’ve joked about it, but…”

She spun around, scowling at me with teary eyes. “You son of a bitch! This is funny to you?”

“I’m not joking Sookie. I wasn’t joking when I first mentioned it. You assumed I meant I was nocturnal… I’m sure it was better that way.”

“Awesome.”

She turned to storm away, but I caught her arm as gently as I could to keep her from going into the house. With Linda and Adele just inside, our conversation would be over. “It hasn’t occurred to you that I’m paler or colder than Humans?”

“Who mentions something like that!? The Pastor’s wife has a damn thyroid disorder! Cold hands and quick sunburns.” Under different circumstances, I would have laughed at how long I considered that puzzle piece… and all the while, she was just being polite.

“I don’t have a thyroid disorder. I’m a Vampire.”

She groaned, “Stop saying that… Wait… Is this why your sister took your books from you? Do you get too invested? Are you like, one of those, I dunno… overzealous Anne Rice fans?”

As frustrated as I was, I was ready to throw in the towel. “I’m not a sycophant. I’m a…”

“Yeah. I got it. You’re a Vampire. Awesome. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go call my friend Buffy!”

Assuming I was joking was reasonable.

Assuming I was insane wasn’t a stretch.

Ridiculing me was unacceptable.

Since she was already giving me a hateful look, catching her attention to begin her glamour was easy… I pushed, “We should go. Your brother will be expecting us.” I wanted to start from scratch, forget the last 20 minutes, pretend the conversation never happened.

She sighed, “You aren’t a Vampire now?”

“Of course not. That was just a joke. Come along…”

Before Sookie moved, Linda charged out of the house with Adele on her heels. “What’s going on out here, Sook? You’re going to wake the dead with all the yelling you’re doing.”

Sookie spun around and put her hands on her hips. “Too late! Erik’s an everlovin’ Vampire!” My glamour… it hadn’t worked… I immediately began running through my list of Supernaturals again. Sookie didn’t submit to glamouring? How the fuck was that possible?

Linda shook her head and asked, “What?” At least I wasn’t the only clueless one in company for once.

Sookie explained, “I asked him what he is and he gave me this crap. He tells me he’s a Vampire… I’ll give him credit for going the extra mile though, he even gave me the Vampire mind control schmooey!”

Linda shook her head and looked at me. “Uh… Sookie?”

“I know…”

“Hon, he’s not joking.”

“What?”

Linda nodded towards me and it wasn’t until then I realized my fangs were down… Shock didn’t happen often for me.

Sookie looked over her shoulder and surprised me… instead of showing any fear, she reached up to grab my face and use her thumbs to push my lip out of the way. She gasped, “HOLY SHIT!”

I was beginning to feel like a sideshow. I retracted my fangs and offered, “I told you, I’m not joking. I don’t have a thyroid disorder. I’m a Vampire…”

“Vampires are fictional!”

“I’ll spread the word to the hundreds of others in the Area.”

Adele snorted, “That’s rich coming from the mind reader…” Mind reader? “I told you, didn’t I? You’re not the only one with something special going on.”

“You told your granddaughter fairy tales to make her feel like less of a freak, Gran! This isn’t the same thing!”

“Why not? Find me a culture that doesn’t have Vampire lore… I’ll go ya one better. I can only think of one that has a firm belief in telepathy… and those are enlightened Buddhists.” She said ‘telepathy’. Telepathy?

Sookie snapped, “You’re going to stand there and say Vampires are logical!?”

Adele narrowed her eyes and warned, “Watch your tone. And yes, Vampires make plenty of sense… when there’s one standing in front of you.”

I added, “And Vampires aren’t exactly rare.”

Sookie spun around and blurted, “You’re 24! I saw your ID!”

“I’ve been ‘24’ for a very long time.”

“You went to college…”

“I was already in my sixth century when I attended Oxford while King James was rewriting the Bible… And I was a student at Louisiana State University to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam. The early morning calisthenics in boot camp wouldn’t have been pleasant.”

“But… but Pam?”

“She isn’t my sister. She’s a Vampire as well.”

Linda snickered, “I totally told her to shut the hell up… but I did it for you. You’d better have my back.”

I shook my head. I didn’t have any idea of how to act in response… their reactions were too… not blasé, but I was more nonplussed than they were, by a long shot.

Adele sighed, “Well that would explain a lot… C’mon Linda. We’ll go eavesdrop…” She wanted to leave Sookie alone with a Vampire? The world had gone mad while I was dead. The woman even mentioned the lore about Vampires… even though most of it was inaccurate, the ‘bad guy’ image was universal.

“We can’t eavesdrop from inside, Momma. The windows are closed.”

Adele snorted, “Then we’ll have to wait. Get your rump inside, girl.”

Linda sulked towards the house, but stopped to turn around. “Wait. If you were at Oxford while James I was King… Shakespeare?”

“I attended a performance of The Tempest at Whitehall Palace in 1611. I didn’t meet him personally, but he was presented to court.”

She shook her head. “Momma, I’ll face the switch…”

Adele stomped over to Linda and snatched her wrist to begin dragging her in. “Dang it, girl. They’ve still got talking to do! Rump. House. Now.”

Linda whined about how I ‘knew The Bard’ until well after the front door was closed behind them.

I’d just revealed myself to three Humans and somehow I was close to laughing.

**

Sookie stared, breathing more heavily than usual for a moment before she began pacing the lawn…

I gave her some time… Altruism and sympathy were the last things on my mind as I sat on the steps to the porch.

I still hadn’t heard Sookie’s secret and my mind was utter chaos… the thought of how unprecedented the collective reaction was drowned out how many variables I’d just given myself.

Three defenseless women found themselves in the company of a Vampire and the strongest reaction from any of them was a debate about the information provided on my forged driver’s license.

Unfuckingbelievable.

“Sookie, as curious as I am about what you are…”

She stopped to face me and held her hands up. “Hang on. I’m sorry. I thought you were screwing with my head, then I thought you were crazy. I was horrible… and you were being honest… I’m really sorry, Erik.”

“I envisioned you dashing for the silverware. I can understand your initial reaction.”

She gasped, “Oh God. The silver thing is real?”

I nodded. “It burns… Why aren’t you more afraid, or confused? Adele said ‘it would explain a lot’.”

Sookie took a deep breath and her nose wrinkled. “I thought… Well, we all kinda thought you’re like me.”

“Like you? I’m still at a loss as to what you are.”

She mumbled, “I’m a telepath. I can read minds.”

“A telepathic what?”

She shrugged tensely. “I dunno. Hell, I don’t even know my options. I guess I tan too well to be a telepathic Vampire…” She slapped her hands over her mouth and mumbled, “Oh God! That was insensitive! I’m sorry!” Adorable. Without a shred of sarcasm… Absolutely fucking adorable.

“I’m not easily offended… and I enjoy your tan… So you have a supernatural ability, but you don’t know how or why, yes?”

“Yeah… I’ve been reading minds for as long as I can remember, so I guess that means I was born with it. I’m the only one too. No one else in my family can.” At least the answer hadn’t been something I’d discounted. A telepath? That was definitely new to me.

“And what made you believe I was a telepath as well?”

“It doesn’t help that I’ve never met another one, but… I noticed your mind is different when we got back here the night we met. I had my shields up while we were still at the storage units because Tara was being a brat and I try to stay out of people’s heads in general just to respect their privacy. When we got to Merlotte’s, you seemed to brace yourself like I was…”

“Vampires have very acute senses. I was bracing myself for the noise.”

She cringed and nodded. “That makes sense now… When you offered to hold my hand, I didn’t want to take it because touching people amplifies things for me…”

I nodded, feeling more and more foolish as her explanation pressed on. “Hence the remarks about your aversion to contact and crowded places.”

She nodded. “But when I took your hand, I didn’t have any problem. I got to thinking it was possible, since you’re older you could have stronger shields than I do… And once we got inside, I heard what Danny and his friends were thinking and you turned to give them a hairy eyeball… and the thing with Mr. Merlotte. The way you were dealing with him, I thought you were seeing what he was thinking too…”

“What was he thinking?”

“Nothing nice and it was aimed at both of us…”

“And when you asked about my reaction, you assumed I was keeping my assumed telepathy a secret, like you were.”

“Yeah.”

“Does it make you feel any better to know I’ve combed every book I own and the World Wide Web trying to figure out what you are? I’m nearly a thousand years old and I was just as stumped.” Her eyes widened and she lost a bit of her color when I mentioned my age.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I feel like an ass in general… We thought we were in a Mexican Standoff. You know, ‘I’m not saying anything until he/she does’.”

I shook my head. “Honestly, I’ve been trying to escape telling you anything. It isn’t as though Vampires make themselves known as a rule and I… didn’t want to be put in a position where I would have to stop seeing you. My situation was complicated by your family. I’ve assumed they knew I was a Vampire.”

She sighed, “At least you had a better reason. I was just afraid you’d run for the hills even though I can’t hear you…”

“I don’t scare easily either.”

“Gran’s called you an ‘old soul’ about a million times. But she’s…” Sookie rolled her eyes and huffed, “She’s always said the same thing about me. We’ve been kind of operating under the assumption you were ‘homeschooled’ because you couldn’t concentrate any better than I could and you’ve been using telepathy for business.”

“Instead of the fact that I was educated at home like most everyone else at the time and I’ve been working and earning for centuries. Your assumptions were more rational than the results of my research. I’m actually embarrassed.”

“What did you think I am? I mean… How many options are there?”

“There are enough options to completely baffle me. I think that would a topic better saved for another night.” If nothing else, Herveaux might appreciate some forewarning.

She walked towards me and plopped onto the steps at my side to huff, “Right… I guess so. What do I need to know… I mean, what’s just in books and what’s for real?”

“Silver actually can harm me. I can’t become ill, but wooden stakes, sunlight and beheading will kill me. I do need to be welcomed into a home by someone who lives there and I can be uninvited. My senses are amplified. I’m faster and stronger than you can imagine…”

She cracked a smile. “That’s how you snuck up on me, huh?”

I nodded. “Is that rare?”

“Definitely… I can read minds further than I can hear, so people’s thoughts give them away… So… you’re like, an SPF 5000 kind of Superman with fangs… Is the all-blood diet thing true or did the fangs bring about the myth?” Silly me. I was hoping that question would get lost in the haystack of others…

“It’s true.”

“Do I want to know how you manage that?”

“It’s not as difficult as you might think… feeding from slaves used to be the common trend. That was abolished at nearly the same time as banking blood caught on in the medical field. There are more creative ways, and less civilized methods, but I get regular deliveries from a bank…”

“Slaves? Because they didn’t go through enough?”

“They were glamoured to forget, otherwise there would be more lore… and I think it’s possible you’re picturing something savage you’ve seen in a movie or read in a book. It doesn’t have be painful, or leave a marking, or kill the donor.”

Her nose wrinkled as she asked, “Really?”

“Truly… and a Vampire’s bite doesn’t create a Vampire either.”

She breathed, “Have you bitten me?”

“No.”

“You basically just told me you could bite me and no one would ever know though.”

“You would know… You called it ‘Vampire schmooey’. You’re the first so-called Human I’ve seen who didn’t submit.” I might just command Pam to refer to glamouring as ‘schmooey’ indefinitely.

“I should be pissed at you… You tried to get a do-over.”

I nodded. “I did… It was a last resort. I didn’t want to argue with you and you seemed to be sure I was a lunatic.”

She sat quietly for a moment, staring into the yard…

I eavesdropped while Linda called Jason to use the article as our excuse to not attend his party… Sookie and I had talking to do apparently. Linda had to promise Jason, Sookie wasn’t being a brat twice before he let her hang up.

I could feel Sookie’s unease building. Reluctance and curiosity… She rubbed her hands over her face and took a deep breath before grumbling, “This was weird enough before, but now I’m at a loss.”

“What was weird?”

“Dating. Did you connect the dots? The telepath whose reception is better when she’s making contact with a person just so happens to be a virgin. It’s not like I’ve done a lot of dating. It’s frustrating to have someone hold your hand while he’s trying to figure out how to play a date so he can get you into the back seat… Then you came along. You’re smart and you have a sense of humor… God knows I’m attracted to you. If I could hear your thoughts, I’d be looking into getting a lobotomy to get rid of this crap just so it doesn’t ruin anything. So yeah… call me crazy, but for a week now, it’s felt really weird to feel so normal.”

“Are we going to discuss how peculiar it is that dating a Vampire makes you feel normal?”

She snorted out a laugh and nodded. “No freakin’ joke… the most eligible bachelor in Shreveport, no less.”

“I don’t know how to ‘date’ anymore than you do. I don’t date and never have.”

“So it kinda goes without saying that you being a Vampire isn’t a topic for mixed conversation, huh?”

“No, it isn’t… Since I can’t glamour you, I doubt I can glamour Linda so there wouldn’t be much point…”

“Wait. Why Linda specifically?”

“You… one of the things that confused me about you is your scent…”

She became paranoid as though I’d insulted her hygiene and lifted her arm to her nose. “What the hell?”

I chuckled, “I explained my senses are acute… Everything has a scent unique to them. For instance, your grandmother has a Human scent under her individual notes of molasses and cinnamon. Your scent is sweet and fresh, like honey and sunshine. Jason’s is similar to yours… Linda’s scent is more intense and still indefinable to me…”

She blurted, “NO!”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing…”

“No… We’ve been trying to figure it out forever… where I got my thing from! You… I… Gran’s Human, but her daughter isn’t…!”

“Are we moving to the topic of genealogy?” Instead of dwelling on the litany of trivial aspects of Vampirism? I couldn’t say I was bothered… if anything I was relieved for the distraction, especially since it was a topic I would have struggled to think of a way to approach it otherwise.

She stood up and marched towards the front door. “You bet your ass… I want to pick your brain before you never call again.” She thought I’d lose interest because of her ability?

I grabbed her, slipping my arms around her waist before she could turn the doorknob. “I told you I don’t scare easily. I’m not deterred by your ability.” I might have considered it a turn on rather than a turn off… she was more likely to accept my nature gracefully… and… it was more than vindicating to have confirmation I wasn’t so preoccupied by just a Human.

She laid her arms over mine. “It won’t be long before what I can do hits you. I’m a freak… I can’t hear your thoughts, but does it make a difference I can tell your moods and when you’re lying?”

“Not at all. Vampires have their own way of accomplishing that. Stop referring to yourself as a freak. There is a blaring distinction between freaks and Supernaturals. We aren’t sure what class you fall into, but you are Supernatural.”

“That’s sweet, but I’m not going to hold my breath that you aren’t going to come to your senses.”

“That’s fine. I will.”

She was quiet for a moment before she snickered, “You don’t have to breathe, do you?”

That wasn’t the point.

**

Adele and Linda seemed oddly excited to see us join them in the kitchen until Sookie held her hands up. “I smell funny.”

While Adele and Linda laughed at her outburst, I corrected, “Unique, Sookie. There isn’t anything ‘funny’ about your scent.”

She nodded the way Pam usually did when she wanted me to stop talking. “Anyway… I smell ‘unique’. Gran doesn’t, but Aunt Linda does too. Erik said Supernaturals have like a signature scent… Gran is a Human, but  Aunt Linda and I aren’t.”

Both women blurted, “WHAT!?”

I explained, “Vampires have acute senses. Linda, your scent is heavier than Sookie’s or Jason’s and I’d be willing to bet Hadley carries a similar scent…”

“But you wouldn’t know because she was pickled last night, right?” And covered by cum.

I nodded and Sookie blurted, “So if Gran’s a Human, but the rest of the family isn’t… I got this crap from Grandpa.”

Adele snarled, “Dang it. I was still hoping it was Michelle’s fault as nasty as she was to you.”

Linda pressed, “So… what is Sookie then? My daddy, God love him, was plain as cardboard.”

“I don’t know. Your scent is new to me, but since you’re all part Human you could be nearly anything…” Except Were. More than a few half-breeds had crossed my path. “I imagine it would be helpful to know if any of you have any weaknesses or sensitivities… metals or dietary. Most Supernaturals have them.”

Adele shook her head. “Nothing in common.”

“Separately then?”

Sookie shook her head and nodded towards Linda. “Not me. Not Jason. Nothing. We don’t even really get sick. We’ll catch an occasion bug, but we get over it really fast.” Accelerated recovery or immune systems?

Linda shrugged. “Hadley has a sensitive stomach. God only knows how she can drink like she can… As for me, the only thing that comes to mind is I get an ugly rash from handling oranges and lemons… I can’t even drink orange juice because it makes my mouth itch.”

No fucking way.

When I didn’t answer, BECAUSE I WAS TOO FUCKING STUNNED TO SAY ANYTHING COHERENT, Adele offered, “And the fact that you’re sick as a dog for your monthly, but that’s got nothing to do with allergies.”

Linda directed her elaboration at me. “I have endometriosis. I’ve needed a hysterectomy for years, but my insurance would rather pay for my medications indefinitely than pay for a surgery unless it spreads. I have to take pain killers, muscle relaxers, steroids, and vitamins… half of my diet is pills.”

I managed to force myself to ask, “Vitamins?” I finally had my answer. I was fucking gobsmacked.

“Yeah. I don’t take them as often as I should because they nauseate me.”

“Do they have a high iron content?”

She tilted her head to the side, realizing quickly I knew something. “Yeah. I get anemic.”

“Describe the rash. You called it ‘ugly’.”

“It’s not like a normal rash. My skin gets itchy, flaky… almost like it… Hell, Momma what would you call it?”

Adele knit her eyebrows together and offered, “Powdery. Your skin flakes like after a sunburn, but without the sunburn…”

“Faerie dust,” slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Linda nodded. “That’s it… Erik, you know something… Spill.”

“There is one breed of Supernaturals with extreme sensitivities to iron and citrus.” Just one. There wasn’t as much as one other single breed with either vulnerability. Iron and citrus were exclusive to ONE creature.

All three women urged, “Well?”

“Faeries.” I’d excluded the possibility only to revisit it time and again. It had been under my nose, literally, all along. I could get lost in Sookie’s scent… but since she was only part Fae, a quarter or less, I wasn’t completely intoxicated by it.

Sookie, Linda and Adele traded glances before they began biting their lips to keep from laughing.

Adele offered, “Let me tell you right now, if my husband heard you suggest he was a fairy, he would be fit to be tied.”

“Since Faeries are a bit narcissistic, I doubt any of them are fond of the vernacular since it’s meant negatively.”

“You’re completely serious…”

Sookie nodded. “Yeah, Gran, he is.”

Adele shook her head in disbelief and stammered, “Mitchell… like Linda said, he was plain. There wasn’t anything about him, not like Sookie… He didn’t have any problems with any foods or anything.”

“I can’t think of anything else to explain the reason for their scents, or Linda’s sensitivity to citrus…”

Linda interjected, “Faeries get a rash too?”

“No. A full-blooded Faerie would completely disintegrate with just a few drops of lemon juice.”

The color drained from her face as she croaked, “Disintegrate… you mean ‘Faerie Dust’ literally?”

“I do… and pardon the unsolicited advice, but I suggest you see a new doctor. It isn’t as though a Human can…” I paused when something occurred to me and made a mental note to store it away for later. “It isn’t as though a Human would know they’ve been having you poison yourself.”

“A Faerie doctor?”

“There’s actually a doctor who just moved to the Area a few years ago…” Ludwig would be a better option than a Human. At least she’d know what she was treating.

Linda cut me off, huffing, “Nevermind… I’m sorry. I don’t want to get my hopes up. My insurance…”

“When a Vampire is treated for silver poisoning, do you think the insurance company sees a factual statement that says the Vampire was transfused and why, or do you think the insurance company gets a bill that says he was ‘treated for heavy metal poisoning’? If Dr. Ludwig sees a need to embellish, she will. If nothing else, she’ll be able to recommend a way to treat your anemia without giving you something that could deteriorate your health.”

She gave me a wide-eyed nod. “Yeah… I’ll take that referral and run with it then… We’re Faeries? Seriously? What are they then? I mean… If Daddy was a Faerie, I doubt we’re talking Tinkerbell.”

“Far from Tinkerbell… The Fae, full-blooded Fae, only have one obvious distinction. Their ears are pointed. Otherwise they appear Human…”

Adele shook her head. “Mitchell’s ears were normal. Not even marginally pointed… and I knew his family… all of them.”

“I don’t doubt you…”

Sookie interjected, “He’s just saying there’s a Faerie in Granpa’s woodpile, Gran.”

I added, “And given how Linda only gets a rash from citrus, as opposed to the extreme, I’d venture to guess the relation is distant.”

Adele huffed, “So what can they do? Can they all read minds?” The woman’s mood was understandably souring… it was likely her husband had hidden he was Faerie from her.

“No… Truth be told, Vampires and Faeries don’t spend any amount of time together. I know they’re strong, but not as strong as Vampires. I know they can move in and out, from place to place in an instant. I’ve heard it referred to as ‘popping’…”

Sookie asked, “Like faster than Vampires? You said you’re fast…”

I opened my mouth to explain, but thought a demonstration might be more effective. I turned, sped to the bathroom in the back of the house, took the bottle of mouthwash from the counter and sped back to the kitchen… in just over a second. The three of them gaped while I explained, “Vampires move quickly. Faeries can be here in one moment and gone in a blink without moving a muscle.”

Linda breathed, “Holy shhhhhit.” It might have been the only reason they weren’t extinct already given how quickly their natural enemy could move.

“Faeries are relatively guarded about what they’re capable of. They certainly wouldn’t show their cards to a Vampire. I’m not aware of any living in my Area. There was a War between Clans recently, perhaps a decade ago, but it had been heated for decades before. As far as I know, they battled until they were nearly wiped out… I know of one personally, but I haven’t a way to contact him.”

Sookie huffed, “What were they fighting over?”

I shrugged, “Who knows with Faeries? They’re typically antagonistic and self-centered.” Explaining Hadley perfectly.

Sookie jokingly snarled, “Watch it, buddy… So, I know it’s a long shot, but how likely is it that you run into the Faerie again so you can ask him if he knew Mitchell Stackhouse?” Not likely at all.

“He’d have to want something in order to approach me… depending on what he wants, I could leverage information from him.”

“What’s he like?”

“To be blunt, he’s never been anything more than a pain in my ass. He puts on airs as though it matters to me he’s a Prince among his kind.”

“Niall.” Linda slapped her hand over her mouth as soon as she breathed the word… While Adele and Sookie gave her a pair of confused looks, she turned to me. “Daddy used to tell me and Corbett fairy tales… they were more like Grimm’s… about the Prince Niall Brandt and…” If I needed to breathe, I’d have choked on my fucking tongue.

“Niall Brigant… Your father used to tell you bedtime stories about Faeries?”

She nodded. “The Faerie Prince… fighting with his brother… ‘The sky can’t trust the sea’…” And Corbett Stackhouse was drowned in a flood.

Fuck me.

“I’ll send out the word when I get back to Shreveport. I’m sure there’s a way for me to contact Brigant. I just haven’t ever tried.” Fuck.

“What does that mean though?”

Fuck me. THIS is what I get for thinking the Stackhouse family tree would be a lighter subject. Perfect.

“The war between clans… Your father was telling you ‘fairy tales’ about Niall Brigant of the Sky Clan and his brother Rogan of the Sea Clan. I don’t know the details about why but from what I’ve heard, they’ve been feuding for centuries.”

“Centuries? How long do Faeries live?”

“I can’t be sure. They continually think of reasons to kill each other. Niall is rumored to be close to my age though.”

For a while, there was a pregnant silence.

Sookie went to the refrigerator to remove a pitcher of tea, pouring herself a glass and refilling the two glasses on the table. The only way to describe her mood was to say she was staggered by the new information. Linda seemed hypnotized by the pattern in the linoleum flooring while she processed the news… and Adele looked as though she was feeling ill. She’d accepted the fact that her granddaughter was dating a Vampire in just a moment, so she clearly could have accepted the knowledge her husband had been Fae… his betrayal was the elephant in the room.

There was no way I could have guessed telling Sookie I was a Vampire wouldn’t be the most astonishing part of their evening.

Linda was the one to break the silence.

She finally cleared her throat to start. “Alright. We’ve established Erik is a Vampire over 900 years old. Sookie is a telepath. We smell ‘unique’. My Daddy was a Human-Faerie hybrid. I’m deathly allergic to citrus and need a new doctor. Faeries can ‘pop’, live indefinitely, and they make the Hatfields and McCoys look like Oprah’s Book Club. Daddy just so happened to tell us stories about the only Faerie Erik knows. Erik’s going to try making contact with Niall Brigant to find out more about our roots… Did I miss anything?” She was so unruffled, it was as though she was reading from a shopping list.

One at a time, we all shook our heads. Linda’s summary was the meat of our discussion.

She rubbed her hands on her knees and stood up slowly. “Good. I’m going to go home and have a stiff drink.” That was closer to what I would have expected.

She kissed her mother, then Sookie… she stopped next to me and ordered, “Get down here,” so she could peck my cheek. “You’re not off the hook, stretch. We’re gonna have a talk about Sir William. Got it?”

I chuckled, “Yes ma’am.”

**

Linda’s car was on its way down the driveway when Sookie simply said, “Gran?”

Adele stood, flustered and clumsy, mumbling, “Not now,” as she left the room.

Sookie was grimacing well before her grandmother slammed her bedroom door closed behind herself.

She walked towards me, crashing her forehead against my chest and it was automatic to put my arms around her. I wasn’t getting the sense she was physically tired, but she was mentally exhausted. “I never thought finding out why I can read minds would hurt her, Erik… I wouldn’t have asked… at least not in front of her.”

“Technically, it was Linda’s fault. Until she remembered the Faerie tales, we assumed your grandfather could have been oblivious to his heritage.”

She gasped and looked up at me. “What if he didn’t know? I mean… You said the Clans had been at it for a long time. What if he was just retelling stories… handed down stories? He could’ve thought they were just bedtime stories.”

I nodded. “You make an excellent point. If one of his parents or grandparents told him, it would make sense for him to pass on the tradition.”

“What you said about Faeries, that struck a chord with Aunt Linda… she’s wondering if that’s why Hadley’s such a pill. She’s worried nothing can help her.”

“She shouldn’t give up all hope. You and Jason seem to have escaped those traits… I have to wonder why you’re the only one who has an ability though.”

She sighed, “I dunno… I used to imagine they did too.”

“Specific abilities?”

“No… just mental masochism… I used to think that maybe they had something going on… You know something they hadn’t discovered yet. Like that Jason could fly, but he didn’t know because he hadn’t ever tried.”

“Funny you should mention that. I didn’t realize I could fly until I was pushed over the edge of a cliff. You should have seen the look on the bastard’s face….”

She snickered and batted my sides. “Don’t make fun of me… I was a kid.”

“I’m not joking.”

“You can fly?”

I tightened my grip and lifted off, just taking us from the floor a few inches to prove the point. “Let me know if you want a bird’s eye view of Bon Temps. It’s secluded enough we shouldn’t get caught.”

She pulled her lips over her teeth, refusing to look down, but she moved her legs back and forth slightly to confirm they were dangling. “That’s… can all Vampires fly?”

As I lowered us again, I answered, “No. Some of us get random gifts.”

“I still have a million questions about you… you know, the Vampire thing.”

“I’m still curious about your ability even though I solved the mystery that’s been wracking my brain.”

She nodded. “I’m too fried to interview you right now though.”

“Understandable.”

“I should probably just go to bed.”

“Are you uninviting me from the house?”

She grinned and sighed, “No.”

“Then you’re asking me to join you, yes?”

She snorted, “Can you behave?” Excuse me? I was joking, hoping to lighten her mood.

“Probably not.”

She backed away and took my hand, walking towards the foyer. I thought she was leading me to the door, saying goodnight… Instead, I found myself being led upstairs and warned, “If you don’t behave, I’ll sick my watchdog on you.”

That might have been more ominous if Tina wasn’t sprawled on the kitchen floor, twitching in her sleep. She hadn’t so much as budged when Adele’s door slammed.

**

I positioned myself on Sookie’s bed carefully to take as much of the bed as I possibly could while she removed pajamas from her dresser.

“Are you sure you need them?”

She slipped the baggy shirt over her head and nodded. “These, and a bundling board, a chastity belt, a moat, a gorgon…” The only thing that would actually deter me would be a silver cock cage.

She reached into the neck of her shirt to untie her bikini top and toss it into her hamper.

“You’re doing it wrong… you’re going out of order.”

She snickered as she artfully slid her legs into shorts and removed her bottoms with the same technique.

Sookie pulled the quilt from under my feet and unfolded it before she raised an eyebrow and told me to, “Scoot.”

I jokingly growled at her and moved, just a few inches… instead of arguing or issuing another order, she tossed the blanket over me and lifted the corner to curl up against me, using my shoulder as her pillow.

She burrowed in, pulling her leg up to curl it over my thigh and draping her arm over my chest.

Once she was settled, she whispered, “You were dancing earlier… you mentioned Vampires and Faeries not getting along a bunch of times, but you didn’t mention why. What’s up with that?”

I braced myself, and answered, “Faeries don’t last for long around Vampires. A full-blooded Faerie’s scent is intoxicating to a Vampire… Vampires lose control and drain them.”

“Like… a Weight Watcher on the cookie aisle?”

“It’s not that tame.”

“But… you’re okay, right? We’re watered down enough it isn’t a problem for you?”

“Your scent is a temptation and a distraction, but you’re not in danger of being drained.”

She tightened her arm and leg over me and hummed, “Good… You’re welcome to stay or go…”

“Do you want me to go?”

“No… But I guess you can’t stay here all night.”

“Unfortunately… You could stay at my house though.”

She chuckled sleepily, “Too late. I’m comfy.”

She turned her head to kiss my shoulder and within a few minutes she was all but purring in her sleep.

**

I didn’t move…

For nearly two hours, I stayed exactly as I was while I tried to grasp the insanity of the evening…

I listened to my partially Fae ‘girlfriend’ breathe, enjoying her scent, absorbing her warmth…

She knew what I was.

She knew what I was and I finally knew what the fuck she was… Granted, her heritage was a can of worms with unlimited variables, but there was an answer. At least that much was finite…

It was well into Saturday before I peeled myself away from her carefully, but she stirred enough to mumble she’d miss me until Sunday night.

I was tempted to go to ground, stay so I could spend the evening with her again…

I would have if I hadn’t promised to make contact with that fucking Faerie.