The Sookie Stackhouse Companion

at his inability to recover from the silver poisoning. Upon discovering that his maker’s blood would have helped him, she uses his database to seek out his sibling, Judith, hoping her blood will serve the same purpose. When Judith arrives, Sookie tells her of the death of her maker, and the vampire happily heads off to help Bill. The following evening, Sookie and Jason attend the Were meeting, where Sookie acts as shaman and identifies the murderers of Basim. Afterward, she feels that something is wrong with Eric, and they rush to his house to find both Eric and Pam badly injured, and Bobby Burnham and vampire bartender Felicia dead—all at the hands of Alexei, who has descended into madness. Sookie drives Eric to her house, where they find Ocella, his back broken by Alexei, lying helpless as Alexei teasingly attacks Claude and an unknown fairy in her yard. Sookie is able to subdue Alexei with a silver chain so Eric can stake him. As she approaches Ocella, considering killing him, she decides instead to ask him to kill Victor Madden in return for sparing his life. While leaning over him, she is attacked by the second fairy, Colman, the father of the late Claudine’s unborn child. Ocella mentally urges her to move out of the way and takes Colman’s sword thrust himself. Colman is stunned by his deed and by the knife suddenly lodged in his back, and Eric is able to seize him and drain him. Sookie’s great-uncle Dermot emerges from the woods, having thrown the knife to save her, and she realizes that he has been bespelled. She and Claude are able to break the spell. After Eric leaves, the fairies climb into bed with her and she relaxes, surrounded by family.
    Sookie is working the evening a Molotov cocktail is thrown through the window at Merlotte’s, and she suffers singed hair and skin as she helps put out the flames. Business at the bar has been sparse lately, due to a rival establishment opening nearby, and she, Sam, and the other employees worry that Merlotte’s clientele will dwindle even more when word of the firebombing gets around. Eric arrives, having felt her panic through their blood bond, and sends for Pam and a hairdresser. As Sookie showers after getting her hair trimmed, she comes to the conclusion that the thoughts she picked up from outside just before the bomb was thrown did not come from a human. She is stunned when Eric and Pam come to blows in her kitchen, and then angry at the damage they are doing. When the vampires calm down, she sends them both home.
    After cleaning out her attic with Dermot and Claude, Sookie rides with Sam to a Shreveport antiques store to arrange an appraisal. They stop by Hooligans on the way back and find the club full of assorted fae. Sookie questions her great-uncle and cousin about her fae heritage but receives only a promise to talk later; however, neither fairy returns home that night. The following night, Eric takes Sookie to Victor’s new dance club, Vampire’s Kiss, where she finds out that Victor also owns Vic’s Redneck Roadhouse, the bar that is drawing customers from Merlotte’s. She meets Pam’s lover, Miriam, who is dying of leukemia and whom Victor has forbidden Pam to turn. On the ride home, Sookie is shocked again when Eric physically stops Pam from speaking after she brings up a mysterious letter. Sookie spends another night alone. When Dermot and Claude finally show up for their promised talk, Sookie learns more about her great-grandfather Niall and discovers that he had been getting information about her for some time from Eric. She also realizes that her fae blood is accentuated by her contact with Dermot and Claude. The appraisers arrive as scheduled, and Sookie sells them several items, including her grandfather Mitchell’s desk. Before taking it away, one of the appraisers searches the desk and finds a hidden compartment, which contains an old dress-pattern envelope and a small velvet bag. Sookie recognizes Gran’s handwriting on a letter in the envelope and puts the letter and bag away until she has some time alone to examine them. Jack and Lily Leeds, the detectives who were investigating Debbie Pelt’s disappearance, come into the bar that night. The couple tells Sookie that they have been sent by Mr. Cataliades to warn her about Sandra Pelt’s continuing vendetta against her. Four thugs, high on vampire blood, come into the bar while the Leedses are there. After making threats and pulling weapons, the toughs are subdued and