22 - Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman Look to the Future - Part Two

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Chapter Twenty Two

As we dressed he admitted, "I was protecting you and controlling you. For many years your behavior seemed ..." he looked for the right words, " ... erratic and impulsive. I could not be sure you would make the right choices."

Despite his attempt at tact I felt a little annoyed, tempered by the mellowing effects of spectacular lovemaking.

"Who can be sure anyone will always make wise decisions?" I asked.

I could have brought up the fiasco Eric caused when he had continued to feed from one of his barmaids, a demon named Saytanna, but I didn't. She was safely tucked in the Underworld for now, let sleeping demons lie.

He was silent for so long I stopped dressing to look at him. He was staring at me, his eyes glowing a faint eerie blue. "You make a valid point. I will try to give you more leeway in the future."

We got in the car and went home.

Leeway wasn't his to give! He didn't own me, for heaven's sake! I kept my tongue, as Gran would have put it, "Least said, soonest mended."

I decided he was moving in the right direction so I would just be more vigilant about when and where his influence was being exerted on me and on those that interact with me. Now that I was Vampire I would have even more access to the inner circle of powerful vamps that decided things. At least that was what I hoped.

I had to admit that Eric's protection had served me well during my human years. In many ways he had done the right things. I appreciated him running interference with the King, there was no way I would have wanted to be co-opted by the Vampire King of Louisiana as his pet telepath.

These were the thoughts I was thinking when we pulled in the driveway behind a long purple and black stretch limo. I recognized the fancy gold crest on the car doors. My heart sank, this was one of the King's fleet of vehicles.

Was King de Castro himself here? Speak or in this case think of the devil, I told myself.

A court messenger, a young vampire courtier in black tights, puffy purple velvet shorts, a black ruffled shirt under a purple velvet coat with exaggerated shoulders stepped out of the limo and waited for us.

When we came up to him he said loudly, "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! King Felipe de Castro and his Queen, Trinity de Castro, command your presence at the royal court immediately." He was staring about a foot over our heads as he announced his message. Then he just stood there like a statue.

I looked at Eric. His face showed no emotion. He said to the messenger "Let us put our car in the garage and get changed then we will be ready to go."

"Very good, sir," the messenger said crisply, still looking over Eric's head.

We backed out of the driveway to give the limo room to move out into the street and let us past, then Eric pulled into our driveway, drove around behind the dark house and parked the Corvette in the garage.

"Can we make a run for it?" I whispered to him once we were in the soundproof tunnel that connected the garage to the house. I wanted to hang out at the palace like a hole in the chest.

"There is no point to that. I am an officer of the court and in favor with the King. We will go and see what the King wants. If he wants to know if your telepathic powers have increased .."

"Then we'll tell him the truth, that they were part of my human nature. Now that I am Vampire they have gone," I finished the sentence for him.

We had rehearsed this enough times. I felt confident I could pull this off. Vampires believed they were one hundred percent not human. If my telepathy came from my human side then it would make sense it was gone. This could be the end of my worry that commanded telepathic servitude was just one phone call away.

After hastily throwing a few clothing items in a suitcase we were ready to go. The limo drove us to the small private airfield where a purple and black helicopter waited for us on standby mode, its blades rotating slowly until we were inside. Then it took off into the night and whisked us away from Shreveport to the landing pad on the roof of the castle in New Orleans.

I stopped at the Donor Lounge for a meal before being taken to the receiving room to await the King. The Donor Lounge was open all night every night as the flashing purple neon sign over the arched doorway proclaimed.

It was where humans that wanted a close encounter with a vampire came to wait, hang out, and, if they were chosen, drink for free using vouchers they were given. The bar area was separate from the waiting room, making the bar perfectly legal. Private enclosed booths were provided for vampires and their donors. It was a tasteful and tasty solution for vampires and humans alike.

I forgot the name and face of the donor as soon as I fed, my mind on other things. After that we went to the reception room where a guard checked us in and called the King's office to let him know we had arrived.

A Lady-in-Waiting for the Queen came for me, just me, telling us that Queen Trinity wanted a private meeting with me. I had known Trinity when we were both human, I looked forward to meeting with her again. I glanced at Eric and he gave me a slight nod, letting me know it was alright for me to go with the Lady.

The current court fashion was the wearing of medieval garb, apparently. The Lady-in-Waiting, a red haired thirty-something vampire with sea green eyes and an impressive bosom wore a voluminous velvet and brocade deep purple dress that swept the floor as she walked. It had so many gathers and layers in it that she appeared to be pregnant. She even waddled when she walked like a woman approaching her ninth month.

I had on a tailored burgundy pantsuit and black silk turtleneck top. We couldn't have been dressed more differently. I hope my modern clothes would not annoy the Queen. No one had told me to dress like it was King Henry I's reign.

Once I was comfortably settled in the Queen's outer chamber a human servant girl in a floor length black uniform, mob cap and white apron asked me if there was anything she could get me. I assured her I was fine and she left.

The Queen's chamber was decorated in shades of blue. Wall sized light blue panels framed huge beautifully painted murals of delicate pale women in tall pointed hats, veils and long elaborate dresses sitting on thrones, walking in moonlit gardens and playing ancient stringed instruments. They were surrounded by lions, unicorns, dragons and griffons that fawned lovingly at their feet.

A gigantic crystal chandelier at least six feet in diameter fit the proportions of the high vaulted ceiling that had been shored up with hand hewn beams. A roaring fire crackled in a fireplace large enough to dance in, casting a golden light on the tapestries and very antique woven rugs that covered the mosaic blue tiled floor. The rugs were three deep in some places. Each one must be worth a fortune, their jewel colors undimmed despite the heavy wear and fraying they showed from the countless generations of feet that had trodden upon them.

This was a beautiful room filled with treasures and trinkets of gold and jewels, the sort of room a person with an unlimited income could buy. I found the carved chair I was sitting in not very comfortable. The rest of the heavily decorated furniture didn't look any more inviting.

The tall Gothic pointed doors opened and Queen Trinity walked in, followed by three vampire Ladies in Waiting. All of them wore clothing designed hundreds of years ago. Queen Trinity wore a long and regal crushed red velvet dress with draped sleeves and gold trim. Her gold crown was almost blinding with rubies and diamonds when the light hit it the right way.

That was remarkable but the most outstanding thing about her was that she and her entourage all looked to be in their eighth month of pregnancy.

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more to come .....(Greetings Fanpires! So good of you to stop by and leave a comment. I am always delighted and fascinated by the things you write. I can't believe my good fortune having you here with me.

****Just a reminder for those who have recently joined us ****

~~~ I began these stories before book nine was released, therefore any changes in characters in books nine and ten - deaths and births - will not be reflected in my story. The same is true for the TV series. After season one the events are not included. ~~~)

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