Deadlocked: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel

calm. “And perhaps it’s even true. But he won’t forgo what I have to offer, regardless of what he may feel.”
    I made myself think before I responded. Inhale. Exhale. “You seem certain the prospect of power will trump the love.” I said the words with my own calm, but inside I was trying not to panic.
    “Yes, I’m certain.” She let the edge of her surprise show. How could I ever doubt that she was right? I glanced at our silent companion. Sadness was weighing down Bubba’s pale face as he looked at me. Bubba, too, thought she was right.
    “Then why did you bother to come here to meet me, Freyda?” I said, struggling to maintain my control. In my lap, below the table, my hands were clenched together painfully.
    “I wanted to know what he loved,” she said. She examined me so closely that it was like getting an MRI. “I am pleased that he likes looks and intelligence. I am fairly sure that you are what you seem on the surface. You aren’t arrogant or conniving.”
    “Are you?” I was beginning to lose control.
    “As a queen, I can seem arrogant,” she said. “And as a queen, occasionally I have to be conniving. I came up from nothing. The strongest vampires do, I have observed. I intend to hold on to my kingdom, Sookie Stackhouse. A strong consort would double my chances.” Freyda picked up her glass of TrueBlood and took a swallow. She put it down with such delicacy that I didn’t hear it touch the table. “I have seen Eric at this or that event for years. He’s bold. He’s intelligent. He’s adapted to the modern world. And I hear he’s amazing in bed. Is that true?”
    When it became apparent that Hell would freeze over before I would talk about Eric in bed, Freyda smiled faintly and continued. “When Appius Livius Ocella came through Oklahoma with his bumboy, I took the opportunity to open a discussion with him. Despite Eric’s fine points, I observed that he also likes to give the appearance of being independent.”
    “He is independent.”
    “He’s been content to be sheriff for a long time. Therefore, he enjoysbeing a big fish in a small pond. It’s an illusion of independence, but one he seems to hold dear. I decided it would be well to have some hold over him to induce him to consider my offer seriously. So I made a bargain with Appius Livius Ocella. He didn’t live to enjoy his half.”
    Ocella’s death didn’t distress Freyda one little bit. At least we had one thing in common besides an Eric appreciation club.
    She had certainly studied Eric. She had him pegged.
    I wanted—desperately—to know if she’d already talked to Eric tonight. Eric had told me before that Freyda had been calling him weekly, but he’d given the impression that he’d been aloof in those conversations. Had they actually been negotiating one on one, long distance? Had they been meeting secretly? If I asked Freyda about this, she would know that Eric hadn’t confided in me. I would expose the weakness in our relationship, and she would certainly pounce on it and hammer in a wedge to widen it. Damn Eric for being so reluctant to discuss the whole thing with me. Now I was at a real disadvantage.
    “Is there anything else you want to tell me? You’ve accomplished what you came for, I guess. You’ve seen me and gotten my measure.” I regarded her steadily. “I’m not sure what you want from me tonight.”
    “Pam is fond of you,” she said, not answering me directly. “This one, too.” She jerked her head at Bubba. “I don’t know why, and I want to know.”
    “She’s kind,” Bubba said immediately. “She smells good. She has good manners. And she’s a good fighter, too.”
    I smiled at the addled vampire. “Thank you, Bubba. You’re a good friend to me.”
    Freyda eyed the famous face as if she were mining secrets from it. She turned her gaze back to me. “Bill Compton still likes you despitethe fact that you’ve rejected him,” Freyda said quietly. “Even Thalia says you’re tolerable. Bill and Eric have both been your lovers. There must be something to you besides the fairy blood. Frankly, I can barely detect your fairy heritage.”
    “Most vamps don’t get that until someone points it out to them,” I agreed.
    She rose, taking me by surprise. I got up, too. The Queen of Oklahoma went to the back door. Just as I was sure this excruciating interview was at an end and she was on her way out, Freyda turned. “Is it true you killed Lorena Ball?” she asked, her voice