Changes (A Southern Vampire Mysteries story)

Chapter One

Original Title: An Understanding, Chaper One

Plot summary of From Dead to Worse.

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the explosion at the vampire Summit, Sookie is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend, the weretiger Quinn, is missing.

She then learns that she is descended from fairies, and is 1/8 fairy herself. While her grandfather is dead, her fairy great-grandfather, Niall, is alive and seeks to meet her.

Sookie is soon drawn into investigating several mysterious deaths among the local Were community. Her telepathy and status as a 'friend of the pack' forces her to mediate between two warring factions, and she discovers that a pack displaced by Hurricane Katrina has been killing the Shreveport Weres in order to take their place. There is a "war" between the two packs, with the Shreveport pack emerging victorious, Alcide now in charge.

At the same time, Felipe de Castro, King of Nevada, begins a campaign to wrest control of the kingdoms of Louisiana and Arkansas from the injured Queen Sophie-Anne. The King's men kill the Queen and all of the sheriffs of Louisiana, except for Eric, who surrenders in exchange for his life and the lives of all under his protection.

Sookie is upset to learn that she now has a blood bond with Eric, and can detect his feelings and know his location. Eric also regains his memory of events in book 4, when he was cursed by witches and had a relationship with Sookie.

She learns that Quinn has been absent because his mother escaped from a were sanatorium, where the mentally unstable weretiger was being held. In exchange for help in recapturing her, Quinn became the prisoner of the King of Nevada. She decides that given Quinn's familial responsibilities, she does not wish to have a romantic relationship with him.

Her sister-in-law, Crystal, is unfaithful to her brother, which means that based on the particular traditions of Hot Shot, Sookie is required to break the hand of Crystal's uncle and Sookie's friend, Calvin Norris. This causes a rupture in her relationship with Jason, and she stops talking to him.

Sookie rescues King Felipe de Castro, Eric, and Sam Merlotte from the murderous intentions of Sigebert, earning her the King's gratitude. She then goes to visit her late cousin Hadley's child, whom she's never met and didn't know existed, and finds out he is a telepath like her.

Chapter One

To say I was hysterical would be an understatement. I was demented, yet all my shouting, crying and fighting weren't doing a damn bit of good, to either me or Eric.

It had seemed like such a simple request, asking to pull over at the rest stop, and ordinarily it would have been fine, except that with my luck, a group of anti vampire rednecks had to pull in a minute or two behind us.

To give me and Eric our due, they were very organised rednecks, and it looked like they had experience doing this; they came prepared.

I had no inkling what was happening until I'd heard a shout of triumph. I'd scanned the area and found four human brains, all intent on killing Eric. I could tell from their thoughts that they already had him wrapped in a silver net and had begun torturing him. This highway was quiet at night, so they weren't expecting to be interrupted.

I weighed my options, and there weren't many. The bathroom didn't have any other exits, I couldn't see anything that might conceivably be used as a weapon. I did try lifting the trash can, even though I hadn't thought of a use for it, but it was bolted to the floor.

Surprise was my only weapon, and it really wasn't a good one. For the first time in a long while, I wished I had some vampire blood in me. I really didn't want to risk any more vampire blood, but when it was a choice between that or dying… well, I could be pragmatic.