Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)

by Charlaine Harris

It’s not easy being telepathic. Most often, it’s not fun.

“exsanguinate.” This was probably not a good omen.

Oddly enough, the only vampire I’d ever “heard” twice was—you guessed it—Eric.

And before you ask me what I do about stuff like that, I’ll tell you. I don’t do squat. I’ve found out the hard way that it almost never works out if I try to intervene. What happens is no one is happier, and my little freakishness is brought to everyone’s attention, and no one is comfortable around me for a month. I’ve got more secrets than Fort Knox has money. And those secrets are staying locked up just as tight.

lol

“Could be. He doesn’t normally miss work. In fact, he never misses work. And I always know where he is. He’s real good about letting me know.” “He’d tell you if he was running off with a woman? Most brothers wouldn’t do that, Miss Stackhouse.” “He’d tell me, or he’d tell Catfish.”

“The blood is on the dock,” I pointed out, trying to improve matters. Providing a reasonable explanation was second nature. “I’m scared Jason went into the water.”

I prodded her a little. “What makes them different?” “They’ve had vampire blood.” Holly glanced to the side, as if she felt someone listening to her. The motion creeped me out. “Witches—witches with a lot of power they’re willing to use for evil—they’re bad enough. Witches that strong who’ve also had vampire blood are . . . Sookie, you have no idea how dangerous they are. Some of them are Weres. Please, stay away from them.”

The peculiar and beautiful Claudine had told me that she was attracted to Bon Temps for its very strangeness. I wondered what else was out there, waiting to reveal itself.

hmm

He pulled gently on my braid. “Come on back,” he said in my ear, since Ms. Crispy was looking on with an indulgent smile. I was sure the indulgent part was for Alcide’s benefit. In fact, I knew it was, because she was thinking I didn’t look chic enough or polished enough to date a Herveaux, and she didn’t think Alcide’s dad (with whom she’d been sleeping for two years) would appreciate Alcide taking up with a no-account girl like me. Oops, one of those things I didn’t want to know. Obviously I wasn’t shielding myself hard enough. Bill had made me practice, and now that I didn’t see him anymore, I was getting sloppy. It wasn’t entirely my fault; Ms. Crispy was a clear broadcaster. Alcide was not, since he’s a werewolf.

It was a big room, but not a grand or elegant one, because it was just chock-full of work stuff—plans and papers and hard hats and office equipment.

“I owe you a huge apology.” Okay, that was unexpected. “How would that be?” I asked, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. I’d come here to spill my guts, but it was Alcide who was spilling his instead. “That last night, at Club Dead,” he began, “when you needed my help and protection the most, I . . .” I knew what was coming now. Alcide had changed into a wolf rather than staying human and helping me out of the bar after I’d gotten staked. I put my free hand across his mouth. His skin was so warm. If you’re used to touching vampires, you’ll know just how roasty a regular human can feel, and a Were even more so, since they run a few degrees hotter. I felt my pulse quicken, and I knew he could tell, too. Animals are good at sensing excitement. “Alcide,” I said, “never bring that up. You couldn’t help it, and it all turned out okay, anyway.” Well, more or less—other than my heart breaking at Bill’s perfidy.

“Let’s go to the Applebee’s down the road and have some coffee,” he suggested. Over the intercom, he told Crispy he was leaving. We went out through the back door.

Alcide asked the young man who seated us to put us in a booth as far away from anyone else as we could get. I scooted down the bench on one side, expecting Alcide to take the other, but he slid in beside me. “If you want to tell secrets, this is as close as we can get,” he said.

“I don’t like Eric being at your house,” he said. “It puts you in danger.” I was touched that his first thought was for my safety. “Jason asked for a lot of money for doing it, and Pam and Chow agreed,” I said, embarrassed. “But Jason isn’t there to take the heat, and you are.”

“Well, they’re humans who stay human.” He shrugged. “Usually, the supes feel like witches are just wannabes. The kind you have to keep an eye on, since they practice magic and we’re magical creatures, but still . . .” “Not a big threat?” “Right. Looks like we might have to rethink that. Their leader takes vampire blood. Does she drain them herself?” He punched in a number and held the phone to his ear.

beautiful Eric, who desired me, who was hungry for me, in a world that often let me know it could do very well without me.

“You are beautiful.” No one had ever looked me in the eyes and said that. I found I had to lower my head. “You are smart, and you are loyal,” he said relentlessly, though I waved a hand to ask him to quit. “You have a sense of fun and adventure.” “Cut it out,” I said.

When you have to clean the blood out of the kitchen, it’s family you want. I’d