a FOR SALE sign and a windowless bathroom, so I moved in. I’ve been going out with a local girl. I take a sip every night. She’s none the wiser,” he sneered.
“What’s your interest?” Bill asked me.
“Have you two been going into her dad’s office at night?” I asked.
“Yeah, once or twice.” He smirked. “Her dad’s office has a couch in it.” I wanted to slap the shit out of him, maybe smacking the jewelry in his nose just by accident.
“How long have you been a vampire?” Bill asked.
“Ah . . . maybe two months.”
Okay, that explained a lot. “So that’s why he didn’t know to check in with Eric. That’s why he doesn’t realize what he’s doing is foolish and liable to get him staked.”
“There’s only so much excuse for stupidity,” Bill said.
“Have you gone through the files in there?” I asked the boy, who was looking a little dazed.
“What?”
“Did you go through the files in the insurance office?”
“Uh, no. Why would I do that? I was just loving up the girl, to get a little sip, you know? I was real careful not to take too much. I don’t have any money to buy artificial stuff.”
“Oh, you are so dumb .” Amelia was fed up with this kid. “For goodness’ sake, learn something about your condition. Stranded vampires can get help just like stranded people. You just ask the Red Cross for some synthetic blood, and they dole it out free.”
“Or you could have found out who the sheriff of the area is,” Bill said. “Eric would never turn away a
vampire in need. What if someone had found you biting this girl? She’s under the age of consent, I gather?” For blood “donation” to a vampire.
“Yeah,” I said, when Dustin looked blank. “It’s Lindsay, daughter of Greg Aubert, my insurance agent. He wanted us to find out who’d been going into his building at night. Called in a favor to get me and Amelia to investigate.”
“He should do his own dirty work,” Bill said quite calmly. But his hands were clenched. “Listen, boy, what’s your name?”
“Dustin.” He’d even given Lindsay his real name.
“Well, Dustin, tonight we go to Fangtasia, the bar in Shreveport that Eric Northman uses as his headquar ters. He will talk to you there, decide what to do with you.”
“I’m a free vampire. I go where I want.”
“Not within Area Five, you don’t. You go to Eric, the area sheriff.”
Bill marched the young vampire off into the night, probably to load him into his car and get him to Shreveport.
Amelia said, “I’m sorry, Sookie.”
“At least you stopped him from breaking my neck,”
I said, trying to sound philosophical about it. “We still have our original problem. It wasn’t Dustin who went through the files, though I’m guessing it was Dustin and Lindsay going into the office at night that disturbed the magic. How could they get past it?”
“After Greg told me his spell, I realized he wasn’t much of a witch. Lindsay’s a member of the family. With Greg’s spell to ward against outsiders, that made a difference,” Amelia said. “And sometimes vampires register as a void on spells created for humans. After all, they’re not alive. I made my ‘freeze’ spell vampire specific.”
“Who else can get through magic spells and work mischief?”
“Magical nulls,” she said.
“Huh?”
“There are people who can’t be affected by magic,” Amelia said. “They’re rare, but they exist. I’ve only met one before.”
“How can you detect nulls? Do they give off a special vibration or something?”
“Only very experienced witches can detect nulls without casting a spell on them that fails,” Amelia admitted. “Greg probably has never encountered one.”
“Let’s go see Terry,” I suggested. “He stays up all night.”
The baying of a dog announced our arrival at Terry’s cabin. Terry lived in the middle of three acres of woods. Terry liked being by himself most of the time, and any social needs he might
“What’s your interest?” Bill asked me.
“Have you two been going into her dad’s office at night?” I asked.
“Yeah, once or twice.” He smirked. “Her dad’s office has a couch in it.” I wanted to slap the shit out of him, maybe smacking the jewelry in his nose just by accident.
“How long have you been a vampire?” Bill asked.
“Ah . . . maybe two months.”
Okay, that explained a lot. “So that’s why he didn’t know to check in with Eric. That’s why he doesn’t realize what he’s doing is foolish and liable to get him staked.”
“There’s only so much excuse for stupidity,” Bill said.
“Have you gone through the files in there?” I asked the boy, who was looking a little dazed.
“What?”
“Did you go through the files in the insurance office?”
“Uh, no. Why would I do that? I was just loving up the girl, to get a little sip, you know? I was real careful not to take too much. I don’t have any money to buy artificial stuff.”
“Oh, you are so dumb .” Amelia was fed up with this kid. “For goodness’ sake, learn something about your condition. Stranded vampires can get help just like stranded people. You just ask the Red Cross for some synthetic blood, and they dole it out free.”
“Or you could have found out who the sheriff of the area is,” Bill said. “Eric would never turn away a
vampire in need. What if someone had found you biting this girl? She’s under the age of consent, I gather?” For blood “donation” to a vampire.
“Yeah,” I said, when Dustin looked blank. “It’s Lindsay, daughter of Greg Aubert, my insurance agent. He wanted us to find out who’d been going into his building at night. Called in a favor to get me and Amelia to investigate.”
“He should do his own dirty work,” Bill said quite calmly. But his hands were clenched. “Listen, boy, what’s your name?”
“Dustin.” He’d even given Lindsay his real name.
“Well, Dustin, tonight we go to Fangtasia, the bar in Shreveport that Eric Northman uses as his headquar ters. He will talk to you there, decide what to do with you.”
“I’m a free vampire. I go where I want.”
“Not within Area Five, you don’t. You go to Eric, the area sheriff.”
Bill marched the young vampire off into the night, probably to load him into his car and get him to Shreveport.
Amelia said, “I’m sorry, Sookie.”
“At least you stopped him from breaking my neck,”
I said, trying to sound philosophical about it. “We still have our original problem. It wasn’t Dustin who went through the files, though I’m guessing it was Dustin and Lindsay going into the office at night that disturbed the magic. How could they get past it?”
“After Greg told me his spell, I realized he wasn’t much of a witch. Lindsay’s a member of the family. With Greg’s spell to ward against outsiders, that made a difference,” Amelia said. “And sometimes vampires register as a void on spells created for humans. After all, they’re not alive. I made my ‘freeze’ spell vampire specific.”
“Who else can get through magic spells and work mischief?”
“Magical nulls,” she said.
“Huh?”
“There are people who can’t be affected by magic,” Amelia said. “They’re rare, but they exist. I’ve only met one before.”
“How can you detect nulls? Do they give off a special vibration or something?”
“Only very experienced witches can detect nulls without casting a spell on them that fails,” Amelia admitted. “Greg probably has never encountered one.”
“Let’s go see Terry,” I suggested. “He stays up all night.”
The baying of a dog announced our arrival at Terry’s cabin. Terry lived in the middle of three acres of woods. Terry liked being by himself most of the time, and any social needs he might
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