How does deadlocked end

Sometimes I thought that Niall had lived for so long that his memory simply skipped a beat or two. It was a struggle to remember this when I was with him, but I forced myself to keep it in my mind. Even the fondest great-granddaughter could smell a rat.

He cocked his head. His white-blond hair moved like a satin curtain. Please abstain in the future. Can I get you a drink or something to eat? Where have you been this evening? You smell of the fae and humans and many other things. With every sentence, I felt more of a fool.

Niall was a tourist, not a resident. May I sit? Niall and Bill had arrived in time to save my body parts and my sanity, if not all of my actual flesh. That was reason enough for him. Kind of contradictory, huh? Now I can tell there is fae blood upstairs in your attic, recently spilled.

And fairies are living here now. Why did you permit this? Have you had sex with him? I took yet another deep breath. I would hyperventilate if Niall stayed very long. I tried again, this time making an effort to modify my indignation. And I admit it helped me, too. Niall was not going to be diverted. Did you suspect … he had any other reason? As a matter of fact, I did think the two fairies had another reason for their attraction to me and my house, but I thought—I hoped—this reason was quite unconscious.

This was a chance to unburden myself of a great secret and gain more information about an object I had in my possession. Just at the moment, Niall was looking at me doubtfully, his head cocked to one side. My cheeks yanked up in my brightest smile. I felt increasingly uneasy. They carried down all the old stuff in the attic. I sold it to an antiques dealer in Shreveport. He came back down them a couple of minutes later. I spent the time sitting there with my mouth hanging open. Even for a fairy, this was odd behavior.

The human clocked him one. Vampires and humans, Weres and fairies. I actually had to think a minute. There was a frozen silence. The three fairies were looking back and forth like gunfighters at the OK Corral.

Each one waited for the other to make some decisive gesture that would determine whether they fought or talked. Chapter 2 Fairies. Never simple. My grandmother Adele would definitely have agreed. And why you put that crazy spell on him. Phil to the fae—that was me. Or not. Niall gave me his most lordly look. Dermot bowed his head.

Being related to Niall, even at two removes, was not easy. This conviction could not have popped into my head at a more inconvenient moment. The beautiful eyes examined me coldly. I love Dermot, too. To Claude, the only side was his. Even Sookie believes this, and she lets me stay here. He sounded genuinely surprised. Finally, he was addressing Dermot directly. Murry, the friend of my enemy Breandan? I thought, but I knew it was better not to interrupt. But he looked absolutely vexed, just for a moment.

Dermot, will you take over at the club until I return? Niall bent to kiss me on the mouth, and the subtle smell of fairy filled my nose. Then he and Claude flowed out the back door and into the woods.

Dermot and I were left alone in my shabby living room. To my consternation, my great-uncle who looked a tiny bit younger than me began to weep. His knees crumpled, his whole body shook, and he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. I covered the few feet between us and sank to the floor beside him. He hiccupped, raising reddened eyes to meet mine. I stretched my free arm to reach the box of tissues on the table by the recliner. I spoke from my heart. If you were, I think you were under a compulsion.

By now, a human guy would have made a huge effort to pull himself together. Dermot seemed quite willing to let me comfort him. He inhaled deeply. I knew he was drawing in my fairy scent and that it would help him. As Dermot trudged off to the bathroom, I went around the house checking all the windows and doors, part of my nightly ritual. What could Faery look like?

Like Oz, in the movie? He was standing in the kitchen wearing plaid sleep pants, his normal night gear. His golden hair was still damp from the shower. Could we sleep together tonight? It was a good thing, a healing thing. Two, I love Eric and I should only bunk down with him. Also, you look enough like my brother to pass for him, which makes any kind of vaguely sexual situation double squicky.

I continued in a quieter tone. Just like my brother. But I have no sex feelings about you, and I kind of feel the sleeping-together thing is just odd.

I felt guilty again. But I made myself suppress the twinge. I only sought comfort. There was a hint of laughter turning up the corners of his mouth. He was smiling as he left the kitchen. That night, for the first time in forever, I locked my bedroom door. I felt bad when I turned the latch, like I was dishonoring Dermot with my suspicions.

An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. If Dermot turned my doorknob during the night, I was too soundly asleep to hear it. And maybe my ability to drop off that deeply meant that on a basic level I trusted my great-uncle. Or trusted the lock. When I woke the next day, I could hear him working upstairs in the attic. His footsteps sounded right above my head. He was down in a minute. I asked Sexy Farmer with a silent gesture if he wanted any toast, and he nodded, happy as a kid.

His smile widened when he saw it. I slept like a rock. What are you doing up there today? So if you have anything you want to store, the space will be ready. The nice items had gone to an antiques store in Shreveport. While the two dealers were at the house looking through the possibilities, Donald had discovered a secret drawer in one of the old pieces of furniture, a desk. I snapped myself back to reality.

I knew only one person who regularly traveled by motorcycle. A moment after I heard the motor cut off, there was a knock at the front door. I sighed, reminding myself to remember days like this the next time I felt lonely. I was wearing sleep shorts and a big old T-shirt, and I was a mess, but that would have to be the problem of my uninvited guest.

But he managed to look plenty tough in a sleeveless denim shirt and jeans and his ever-present shades. Or some lemonade?

He shook his head in disgust. We walked back to the kitchen. I have no problem with you. It would have been nice if he had realized that earlier. Have a seat. He seemed really jangled. He gave the daytime man a level blue stare that warned Mustapha to be on his best behavior and rose, taking his mug with him. We heard the stairs creak as he mounted them. Style and attitude. Two things. His chocolate-chip eyes were downcast; Mustapha was not a happy camper.

We were at great risk. We had both participated in the plan to trap Victor Madden, regent of the state of Louisiana, put in place by King Felipe of Nevada, and we had helped to kill Victor and his entourage. What was more, I was pretty sure Felipe de Castro suspected all this with a high degree of certainty. I nodded, signaling Mustapha to deliver the message. Not too helpful. I figured as much.

But that Pam would warn me … seemed a bit odd. I stared at him, waiting for more. Maddeningly, he did not elaborate. I knew better than to ask him to. Giving me advice? I nodded. Alcide Herveaux, the packleader in Shreveport, would have been glad to gain a strong wolf like Mustapha. She was about as big as a wasp, and she had the same nature. He inclined his head. She would push and push until we fought. Over you. He inclined his head again. Her spirit is big. She has to be the baddest bitch in the fight?

Anyway, Jannalynn was talking to Alcide while she was serving him a drink. She knows you loaned Merlotte some money to keep his bar afloat. She thinks of it as fact-gathering. And that galls her. I could only conclude that she saved her softer, gentler side for him.

He can smell that on her. Women like you. She halfway wants Alcide, but she knows he wanted you, too. Thanks for the heads-up, Mustapha. And then he was out the door. I mounted the stairs to the second floor as the motorcycle roared its way back to Hummingbird Road.

I stood in the attic doorway. Dermot was shaving the bottom off one of the doors. He knew I was there, but he kept on working, casting a quick smile over his shoulder to acknowledge my presence. I considered telling him what Mustapha had just told me, simply to share my worries. But as I watched my great-uncle work, I reconsidered.

Dermot had his own problems. I started to launch a boatful of worry about that, but I gave myself a reality check. It was none of my business. For all I knew, Claude had a system in place and all Dermot had to do was follow it. Kind of alternating with Fangtasia. Okay, two bars. Speaking of which, my cell phone buzzed me to remind me we were getting a beer delivery that morning.

It was time for me to hustle in to work. To our relief, the newness of our rival was wearing off, and some of our regulars were returning to the fold. At the same time, the protests against patronizing a bar owned by a shapeshifter had stopped since Sam had started attending the church that had supplied most of the protesters.

It had been a surprisingly effective countermove, and I am proud to say I thought of it. Sam had been pretty nervous the first Sunday, and only a handful of people talked to him. He spent some of it with Jannalynn. Sam also worked on his double-wide inside and out, trimming his hedge and raking his yard, planting flowers and tomatoes in season, to the amusement of the rest of the staff.

I thought it was real nice that Sam liked to take care of his home, even if it was parked behind the bar. I was a little early. I had the time to make some measurements in the storeroom. The guy who drove the truck, Duff McClure, knew exactly where to put the beer. I counted the cases as he unloaded them. We had a few days to pay it, but Sam had always paid on delivery.

I thought that was a good policy. I was serious about my check-writing privileges. I signed with a flourish. I delivered there this morning. Tell him I said to catch some crappie for me.

Always has. I relaxed. This is where we need us some lockers. So each employee will have their own little space to store stuff. After a token fuss, Sam agreed.

Then it was thirty minutes till opening time, and Sam went behind the bar to start slicing lemons for the tea.

I tied on my apron and began to check the salt and pepper shakers on the tables. I straightened a few chairs. I liked her more and more as I worked with her. She was clever at handling difficult customers.

India was glad to find things to do while she was at work, which was a refreshing change. Kenya, one of our patrol officers, came and looked around inquiringly. They ate lunch here at least once or twice a week. I got a younger one named Cairo. I sighed to myself. I brightened when my own brother walked in just as Kenya was leaving. Instead of sitting at the bar or taking a table, he came up to me. I sure hope she says yes. His first marriage had been a mistake from the start, and it had ended even worse than it had begun.

He grinned at me. He flashed the grin at me, the one that had hooked scores of women. On the other hand, most of the time I know too much. At least most people are too nice to call me Crazy Sookie anymore.

Tara came in with her assistant, McKenna, to order an early lunch. Tara looked even bigger with her pregnancy than she had at Hooligans the night before.

What had happened when she talked to JB about his second job at Hooligans? McKenna would have loved to be a telepath, for about twenty- four hours. She towed McKenna along. I looked questioningly at Tara. She glared at me. Not ready to talk, not yet.

Trees had died to make these forms, and that seemed a great pity to me. I tried to fill out anything I could online, though I was very slow at it. Sam came back to his office to retrieve a screwdriver from his desk, so I asked him a question about an employee tax form.

He was leaning over me to look at it when Jannalynn walked in. I could feel his smile in his voice. Instead of a response, there was an ominous silence. I finally looked up to see that Jannalynn was in high offensive mode, her eyes round and wide, her nostrils dilated, her whole slim body tense with aggression.

I swung around in the swivel chair to look up at him, and he was in a posture that was tense, too. But his face was one big warning. You thinking Sam and I are fooling around in the office? I took a deep breath. She glanced at me and half smiled.

This was a very good opportunity to dust the bottles and shelves behind the bar, and I moved them all carefully, cleaning a bit of shelf and moving on to another one. I had the bar as clean as a whistle by the time Jannalynn and Sam emerged. I nodded in acknowledgment. Oh, please! And then she left the bar, Sam following her to say good-bye. Or to make sure she actually got in her car.

Or both. By the time he returned, I was so desperate for something to do I was about to start counting the toothpicks in the clear plastic dispenser. He avoided my eyes. He was surely embarrassed. A work crew from Norcross came in, their shift over and some celebration in progress. India and I began putting tables together to accommodate all of them.

While I worked, I thought about young shifter women. I wondered if this exaggerated aggression was due to the established male power structure in the packs.

I had to abandon theoretical thinking to get the drink orders right for the Norcross men and women. Sam emerged to work behind the bar, India and I began moving at a faster pace, and gradually everything settled back to normal.

Just as I was about to get off work, Michele and Jason came in together. They were holding hands. I gave Jason an even happier one. There was nothing to gain and everything to lose by adding my two cents. They were grown-ups. Right, honey? And other guests can bring drinks or whatever, vegetables and desserts. That was very practical and low-key. I asked them to let me know what I could bring that would be most helpful. After lots of mutual goodwill had been exchanged, they left, still holding hands and smiling.

How you feeling about this, Sookie? Sam was making an effort to sound upbeat, though he was still a little worried about his own romantic situation.

Sam had been my friend for years, while significant others came and went. I went up to the bar and leaned against it. My friend, the secret stripper, was looking handsome and hearty as always.

I know I should have told her. JB had made a clever move, for JB; he had found a way to use his assets to make extra money. His downfall had been in not informing his wife he was taking off his clothes in front of many other women on a weekly basis.

We talked off and on while JB nursed a beer at the bar. Tactfully, Sam pretended to be so busy that he was deaf to our intermittent conversation. I urged JB to cook something special for Tara that night or to stop off at Wal-Mart and buy her a little bouquet.

Maybe he could give her a foot rub and a back massage, anything to make her feel loved and special. He met my eyes and clamped his lips shut.

Then he smiled. JB loved movies. Dating makes me all confused. To scare off everyone else? She opened her mouth, looked as though she wanted to ask me something else, and then she closed it. India was working a double shift, so she kept her apron on. I waved a casual good-bye to Sam, glad to be walking out the door.

I just made it to the library before it closed, and then I stopped by the post office to buy some stamps from the machine in the lobby. Halleigh Bellefleur was there on the same errand, and we greeted each other with real pleasure. His grandma brought him up, and she was a fine woman, if a little on the scary side. Caroline Bellefleur had been more than a little on the scary side. Though it was good to see Halleigh, when I got back into the car with my stamps I was feeling a little blue.

I knew I was a lucky woman in many respects. I would not start down the self-pity path. I shook myself briskly and set off to complete the rest of my errands. Faye had been pregnant six times, and she was around my age. Yes, attitude adjustment, indeed. I had my evening meal and watched television and read one of my new library books that night, and I felt just fine, all by myself, every time I thought about Faye.

Chapter 3 There were no great revelations at work the next day, and not a single outstanding incident. I actually enjoyed that. I just took orders and delivered drinks and food, pocketing my tips. Kennedy Keyes was at the bar. I had enough of my own. Even among humans, some are clearer broadcasters than others. But before I learned how to shield my brain, it was like listening to ten radio stations at a time.

So during that little period of normality, I achieved a measure of peace. I was in no hurry to face him to find out. I stayed gossiping at the bar for a few minutes, and on the way home I filled up the car with gas. I got a chicken sandwich from the Sonic and drove home slowly. I just knew I had to look nice, because Eric would expect it in front of visitors. I had vampire problems on my mind. I was too anxious to eat more than half my sandwich. I had to fish my electric bill out after I tossed it along with a furniture-sale flyer.

I opened it to check the amount. Claude had better return from Faery; he was a reckless energy user, and my bill was almost double its normal size. I wanted Claude to pay his share. My water heater was gas, and that bill was way up, too. I put the Shreveport newspaper on the kitchen table to read later. It was sure to be full of bad news. I showered and redid my hair and makeup.

I sighed, resigned to the inevitable. I began looking through my summer dresses. My skin was nice and brown this far into the tanning season, and my hair was a few shades lighter and still looked good from the remedial trim the hairdresser Immanuel had given it a few weeks previously. I put on a white skirt, a bright blue sleeveless blouse, and a real broad black leather belt that had gotten too tight for Tara. My good black sandals were still in pretty fair shape.

My hand paused over the drawer of my dressing table. Within it, camouflaged with a light dusting of face powder, lay a powerful fairy magical object called a cluviel dor. Part of me was afraid of wasting the power of the cluviel dor. If I used it recklessly, it would amount to using a nuclear device to kill a fly. The cluviel dor was a rare and ancient fairy love gift. She had never told me she had it, and I had only just discovered it during the attic clean-out. It had taken me longer to identify it and to learn more about its properties.

Though the cluviel dor was a love gift, not a weapon, its use might have results just as dramatic. Possession of the cluviel dor granted the possessor a wish. That wish had to be a personal one, to benefit the possessor or someone the possessor loved. What if I wished that my gran were alive again, and instead of my living grandmother, her corpse appeared? So I understood why Gran had hidden it away from casual discovery. It was like paying for a Life Alert and then leaving it up in the kitchen cabinet out of reach.

If anyone—any supernatural—learned I had this amazing object, I would be in even more danger than my normal allotment. The cluviel dor was a creamy green and looked not unlike a slightly thick powder compact, which was why I kept it in my makeup drawer.

The lid was circled with a band of gold. It would not open; it had never opened. In my hand, the cluviel dor radiated the same warmth I felt when I was close to Niall … the same warmth times a hundred. I was so tempted to put it in my purse. Once again, thank you for taking a moment with us and for creating the wonderful world of Sookie Stackhouse. Over-night fan almost literally of the Sookie Stackhouse series since early Co-owner of True-Blood.

Anxiously anticipating season 6. Take a look at where you Related Items Charlaine Harris Deadlocked. Liz Over-night fan almost literally of the Sookie Stackhouse series since early You may also like However, powerful fae such as Niall and Preston who are adept at illusion-casting or shape-shifting can fool even other fae. Since her powers have been growing throughout the series, the true extent of her power is unknown.

Even though she is a human-fairy hybrid she rarely uses her magic. This gives her some physical attributes of the fae like beauty and blood attraction. This blood attraction works for weres and other supernatural beings and not just vampires. Her fairy blood makes vampires around her feel vibrant and full of life. She is also generally healthier than humans and is rarely sick. As Sookie is a sky fairy, she has an affinity for sunlight and loves to sunbathe outside for hours to gain a tan.

In the book Dead Reckoning , it is shown that when around other faes, or part-fae, fae essence is amplified. Sookie's fairy qualities are amplified when she lives with her fairy relatives, full-fae Claude and half-fae Dermot , which makes her become even more fairy-like. This extra fairy quality has given her extra vigor, beauty, magic, and strength, enough to hurt Alcide a werewolf when she playfully punches him for a comment he made.

It is revealed that as Sookie is not a full fairy, she only has limited access to fae magic. Sookie was also shown to be able to reverse a magic spell on her Grand-Uncle Dermot by giving him a kiss on his cheek.

However this was in conjunction with her full-blooded fae cousin Claude so it is not known if she can do this by herself. She has also been shown to have a physical side, as she is seen fighting on multiple occasions. She is also a good marksman, seen when she shoots and kills Debbie. Adele Stackhouse was Sookie's grandmother and a parent figure. Sookie and her older brother Jason were raised by Adele from age seven through ten. Sookie and Adele were close and lived together in the Stackhouse farmhouse.

Sookie and her grandmother had many things in common, particularly open mindedness, curiosity, and hospitality. Adele also instilled Southern hospitality and manners in Sookie. Adele was killed by Rene in the first book, " Dead Until Dark ". Jason Stackhouse is Sookie's brother and the eldest Stackhouse.

He and Sookie have never been close due to Jason's selfishness and irresponsible behavior. However, after Sookie and Sam saved Jason from Felton the two grew closer. Later, Jason became a " were-panther ". Sookie gave Jason away at his wedding to Crystal. This proved to be something she would regret when Jason set her up to finding Crystal cheating. In accordance with the oath Sookie took when she gave Jason to Crystal, Calvin Crystals' father, who gave Crystal away at the wedding had to be punished by Sookie.

Bill Compton was Sookie's first love. When he walked into Merlotte's Bar, Sookie was excited to learn that she could not "hear" his mind. After Sookie realizes this the two begin a relationship. As a way to protect and keep Sookie, Bill becomes the Area 5 investigator under Eric. In the third book, " Club Dead , " Bill leaves Sookie for his maker Lorena , who drains and tortures him. Sookie goes to Mississippi to save him, and learns on the trip that Bill had been unfaithful.

During his rescue, because he was injured and starving for blood, a delirious Bill attacks Sookie and feeds very heavily on her and rapes her. Because of his infidelity, Sookie ends the relationship for good. As a result, Sookie tells Bill to get out of her life and wishes never to see him again.

In the twelfth book, " Deadlocked , " Bill and Sookie must work together to solve a murder mystery. Eric has been alive for over years and is over humanity. When he meets Sookie for the first time, he is attracted and intrigued by her. Sookie is very drawn to him but he also scares her and she doesn't understand his attraction to her. Eric tries several times to have sex with Sookie and she shuts him down.

It is a game both of them enjoy playing. In the second book, " Living Dead in Dallas , " Eric drinks her blood to help save her from a Meanad attack and later tricks her into drinking his blood in order to save his life. The blood exchanges intensify their feelings and attractions for each other.

In the third book, " Club Dead , " Eric gives Sookie a significant amount of blood after she is staked. When Eric loses his memory from a spell in the fourth book, " Dead to the World ," he stays with Sookie for protection.

They have a brief and very steamy intimate relationship, where Eric confesses his love and loyalty to Sookie. When the spell is broken he forgets everything that has happened, leaving her broken-hearted and confused. Sookie is uncomfortable with the bond, but they had little choice in the matter. Eric had offered to make the bond in place of the Vampire Queen of Louisiana's second in command, Andre , who wished to force such a bond on her himself.

The bond lets each other know their presence, moods, feelings as well as intensifies them. In the From Dead to Worse, Eric recoverers his memory of their time together. He is in love with Sookie by now and would do anything to protect her.

In the ninth book, " Dead and Gone ," Eric marries Sookie vampire-style in order to protect her from the King of Nevada, Felipe de Castro who has taken over Louisiana in a coup.

Although she is angry with the sly way it happened, she understands Eric was saving her. They begin an intimate relationship and exchange blood again. In the twelfth book, " Deadlocked , " Sookie must come to terms with the fact that Eric is feeding off of younger women. John Quinn is a powerful were-tiger who first meets Sookie in the fifth book, " Dead as a Doornail ," and in the sixth book, " Definitely Dead ," the two begin dating. The dating process is not an easy one for this couple, because on every date they had they were attacked by werewolves.