Read Online From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris - Free Book Online
Authors: Charlaine Harris
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bitten my tongue, but Amelia didn’t take offense.
“You’re right,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to help him advance his agenda. He’s capable of doing that without my assistance. If he’d just leave me alone, I’d be content. He’s always trying to improve my life, on his terms. I’m really doing okay.”
“Who was that who had called you in New Orleans?” Though I knew, I had to pretend. “Fant, her name was?”
Amelia shuddered. “Octavia Fant is my mentor,” she said. “She’s the reason I left New Orleans. I figured my coven would do something awful to me when they found out about Bob. She’s the head of my coven. Or what’s left of it. If anything’s left of it.”
“Ooops.”
“Yeah, no shit. I’m going to have to pay the price now.”
“You think she’ll come up here?”
“I’m only surprised she’s not here already.”
Despite her expressed fear, Amelia had been worried sick about the welfare of her mentor after Katrina. She had made a huge effort to track the woman, though she didn’t want Octavia to find her.
Amelia feared being discovered, especially with Bob still in his cat form. She’d told me that her dabbling in transformational magic would be considered all the more reprehensible because she was still an intern, or something along those lines . . . a step above novice, anyway. Amelia didn’t discuss the witch infrastructure.
“You didn’t think of telling your father not to reveal your location?”
“Asking him to do that would have made him so curious he’d have torn up my entire life to find out why I’d asked. I never thought Octavia would call him, since she knows how I feel about him.”
Which was, to say the least, conflicted.
“I have something to tell you that I forgot,” Amelia said abruptly. “Speaking of phone calls, Eric called you.”
“When?”
“Ah, last night. Before you got home. You were so full of news when you got here, I just forgot to tell you. Plus, you’d said you were going to call him anyway. And I was really upset about my dad coming. I’m sorry, Sookie. I promise I’ll write a note next time.”
This was not the first time Amelia had neglected to tell me about a caller. I wasn’t pleased, but it was water under the bridge, and our day had been stressful enough. I hoped Eric had found out about the money the queen owed me for my services in Rhodes. I hadn’t gotten a check yet, and I hated to bug her since she’d been hurt so badly. I went to the phone in my room to call Fangtasia, which should be in full blast. The club was open every night except Monday.
“Fangtasia, the bar with a bite,” Clancy said.
Oh, great. My least favorite vampire. I phrased my request carefully. “Clancy, it’s Sookie. Eric asked me to return his call.”
There was a moment of silence. I was willing to bet that Clancy was trying to figure out if he could block my access to Eric. He decided he couldn’t. “One moment,” he said. A brief pause while I listened to “Strangers in the Night.” Then Eric picked up the phone.
“Hello?” he said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you back before now. I just got your message. Did you call about my money?”
A moment of silence. “No, about something else entirely. Will you go out with me tomorrow night?”
I stared at the telephone. I couldn’t manage a coherent thought. Finally I said, “Eric, I’m dating Quinn.”
“And how long has it been since you’ve seen him?”
“Since Rhodes.”
“How long has it been since you heard from him?”
“Since Rhodes.” My voice was wooden. I was unwilling to talk to Eric about this, but we had shared blood often enough to have a much stronger tie than I liked. In fact, I loathed our bond, one we’d been compelled to forge. But when I heard his voice, I felt content. When I was with him, I felt beautiful and happy. And there was nothing I could do about it.
“I think you can give me one evening,” Eric said. “It doesn’t sound
“You’re right,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to help him advance his agenda. He’s capable of doing that without my assistance. If he’d just leave me alone, I’d be content. He’s always trying to improve my life, on his terms. I’m really doing okay.”
“Who was that who had called you in New Orleans?” Though I knew, I had to pretend. “Fant, her name was?”
Amelia shuddered. “Octavia Fant is my mentor,” she said. “She’s the reason I left New Orleans. I figured my coven would do something awful to me when they found out about Bob. She’s the head of my coven. Or what’s left of it. If anything’s left of it.”
“Ooops.”
“Yeah, no shit. I’m going to have to pay the price now.”
“You think she’ll come up here?”
“I’m only surprised she’s not here already.”
Despite her expressed fear, Amelia had been worried sick about the welfare of her mentor after Katrina. She had made a huge effort to track the woman, though she didn’t want Octavia to find her.
Amelia feared being discovered, especially with Bob still in his cat form. She’d told me that her dabbling in transformational magic would be considered all the more reprehensible because she was still an intern, or something along those lines . . . a step above novice, anyway. Amelia didn’t discuss the witch infrastructure.
“You didn’t think of telling your father not to reveal your location?”
“Asking him to do that would have made him so curious he’d have torn up my entire life to find out why I’d asked. I never thought Octavia would call him, since she knows how I feel about him.”
Which was, to say the least, conflicted.
“I have something to tell you that I forgot,” Amelia said abruptly. “Speaking of phone calls, Eric called you.”
“When?”
“Ah, last night. Before you got home. You were so full of news when you got here, I just forgot to tell you. Plus, you’d said you were going to call him anyway. And I was really upset about my dad coming. I’m sorry, Sookie. I promise I’ll write a note next time.”
This was not the first time Amelia had neglected to tell me about a caller. I wasn’t pleased, but it was water under the bridge, and our day had been stressful enough. I hoped Eric had found out about the money the queen owed me for my services in Rhodes. I hadn’t gotten a check yet, and I hated to bug her since she’d been hurt so badly. I went to the phone in my room to call Fangtasia, which should be in full blast. The club was open every night except Monday.
“Fangtasia, the bar with a bite,” Clancy said.
Oh, great. My least favorite vampire. I phrased my request carefully. “Clancy, it’s Sookie. Eric asked me to return his call.”
There was a moment of silence. I was willing to bet that Clancy was trying to figure out if he could block my access to Eric. He decided he couldn’t. “One moment,” he said. A brief pause while I listened to “Strangers in the Night.” Then Eric picked up the phone.
“Hello?” he said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you back before now. I just got your message. Did you call about my money?”
A moment of silence. “No, about something else entirely. Will you go out with me tomorrow night?”
I stared at the telephone. I couldn’t manage a coherent thought. Finally I said, “Eric, I’m dating Quinn.”
“And how long has it been since you’ve seen him?”
“Since Rhodes.”
“How long has it been since you heard from him?”
“Since Rhodes.” My voice was wooden. I was unwilling to talk to Eric about this, but we had shared blood often enough to have a much stronger tie than I liked. In fact, I loathed our bond, one we’d been compelled to forge. But when I heard his voice, I felt content. When I was with him, I felt beautiful and happy. And there was nothing I could do about it.
“I think you can give me one evening,” Eric said. “It doesn’t sound
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