Deadlocked: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel

wards. The silence and stealth the newcomer employed could indicate either one. I did know I wasn’t going to give up the cluviel dor. And I knew for sure I wasn’t going to standpassively and let this asshole hurt me. I twisted, gripped the handle of the pot of hot water, and pivoted smoothly, flinging the water directly into Donald Callaway’s face.
    A lot of things happened then, in very rapid succession. Callaway screamed and dropped the knife and the Mace, clapping his hands to his face while water flew everywhere. The demon lawyer, Desmond Cataliades, charged into the room. He bellowed like a maddened bull when he saw Donald Callaway on the floor (the dealer was doing a little of his own bellowing). The demon leaped onto the prone dealer, gripped his head, and twisted, and all the noise stopped abruptly.
    “Shepherd of Judea,” I said. I pulled out a chair and sat in it to forestall falling down on the wet floor with the body.
    Mr. Cataliades picked himself up, dusted his hands together, and beamed at me. “Miss Stackhouse, how nice to see you,” he said. “And how clever of you to distract him. I’m not yet returned to full strength.”
    “I take it you know who this is,” I said, trying not to look at the inert figure of Donald Callaway.
    “I do. And I’ve been looking for a chance to shut his mouth forever.”
    The bowl of sweet potatoes was still letting off steam.
    “I can’t pretend to regret he’s dead,” I said. “But this whole incident is kind of shocking, and it’s taking me a minute to collect myself. In fact, I’ve been through a lot of shocking stuff lately. But what else is new? Sorry, I’m babbling.”
    “I can quite understand that. Shall I tell you what I’ve been doing?”
    “Yes, please. Have a seat and talk to me.” It would give me a chance to recover.
    The demon sat opposite me and smiled in a cordial way. “When last you saw me, you were giving a baby shower, I believe? And thehellhounds were pursuing me. Do you mind if I impose on you for a glass of ice water?”
    “Not at all,” I said, and rose to fetch it. I had to step over the body.
    “Thank you, my dear.” The lawyer finished the glass in one long swallow. I refilled it. I was glad to return to my seat.
    “You look kind of beat up,” I observed, for I’d watched him as he drank. Mr. Cataliades was usually very well turned out in expensive suits that could not hide his round figure but at least made him look prosperous. The suit he had on had certainly looked much better when he’d bought it. Now it was marred with snags and holes and frayed spots, and spotted with stains. His once-polished brogans could not be salvaged. Even his socks were in tatters. The tonsure of dark hair was full of debris, leaves and twigs. Could it be he hadn’t had a chance to change clothes since I’d last seen him sitting here in this kitchen, taking a time-out from his pursuit by four-legged streaks of darkness?
    “Yes,” he said, looking down at his condition. “‘Kind of beat up’ is a gentle way to put it. Those streaks of darkness were hellhounds.” It was no shock to me that he could read my mind; my own telepathy had been a birth present from Mr. Cataliades. He’d always been very good at concealing his own gift, never betraying by so much as a glance that he could read human minds. But I’d figured he must have it, if he could give it away. “The hellhounds pursued me for a very long time, and I had no idea why. I could not fathom what I had done to offend their master.” He shook his head. “Now, of course, I know.”
    I waited for him to tell me what he’d done, but he wasn’t ready for that.
    “Finally, I became far enough ahead of the hounds to take time to arrange an ambush. By then, Diantha had been able to find me to join in the surprise I’d planned for them. We had … quite a struggle withthe hounds.” He was silent for a moment. I looked at the stains on his clothing and took a deep breath.
    “Please tell me Diantha isn’t dead,” I said. His niece Diantha was one of the most unusual creatures I’d ever met, and that was saying something, considering whom I could enter in my address book.
    “We prevailed,” he said simply. “But it cost us, of course. I had to lie hidden in the woods for many days until I was able to travel again. Diantha recovered more quickly since her wounds were slighter, and she brought me food and began gathering information. We needed to understand