Swimming to the Light (Southern Vampire Mystery)

Chapter 8 - Safe Harbor

Shreveport:

It hadn't made a lot of sense. The light had turned on and the nurse had been bundling me up in a blanket. The oxygen tubes were removed from my face.

"Watch your head, Sookie. " Then the same voice said, but not to me, "I've given her a sedative. She should sleep for you. How far will you travel?"

There was an answer, but I couldn't understand it. I was being pulled across the bed. My feet were kind of dragging behind and my slipper came off my foot. I could feel my toes hit the air.

"Toes," I said. And I was smiling. Then the other slipper was off and there were socks on my feet; warm, fleecy socks. I rolled my eyes up and I swear I was looking at Elvis. "Hi," I told him.

"Well hi back at ya, Miss Sookie," he said. And he smiled really wide. "Boy, Mr. Bill and Mr. Eric would sure be worried if they saw you like this. You sure are skinny."

And somewhere deep down I didn't think this was really a dream. "Bubba?"

"Course it is, Miss Sookie! But don't you worry none. I got you." And he did. He was carrying me like I was a feather, all bride-style. I must have slept then. When I woke up I was in a car. We were driving in the night and there were highway lights that passed over my face as I stared out the window. Bubba was holding me close and he was humming. I tried to hum with him, but I never could carry a tune.

"You alright, Miss Sookie?" he asked. I nodded, but I couldn't hold my eyes open. "Well, you just get yourself a little sleep. Tell you what. I'll just sing you a little lullaby." I remember Bubba singing Don't Be Cruel all soft and low before my eyes closed again.

Las Vegas:

Sam fidgeted. He had been sitting in a chair across from the King's empty desk for over an hour. A part of him realized it was deliberate. The whole waiting thing was designed to produce the nervous anxiety he was experiencing. Knowing it helped to take the edge off but it didn't totally remove the feeling.

He had made it to Vegas days ago. He immediately presented himself at the palace gate. He had been ushered in and provided a suite of rooms. Of course, they had locked the door. He really hadn't expected anything different.

He had thought about trying to hide in Texas. He figured it wasn't like they would really look for him. But then he'd talked with his mom. She reminded him that vampires never forget and that loyalty is the one thing you can count on saving your ass. So he kept traveling west.

He knew from experience what vampires could do. He'd been working for them for years.

His temper had got the best of him. He had liked the girl. She was a lynx, and they ran together frequently. But she had a habit of sassing him that he hadn't liked. He had told her and told her to behave herself. But it just seemed to make her more mouthy. They had a fight and his hand just struck her by accident. She had turned on him and attacked. He had defended himself. That was all. The Pack hadn't seen it that way. They wanted her hospital bills and restitution. Sam had run from the state, but they had tracked him down. He had pointed out that he was no good to them dead. Next thing he knew, he was on his knees pledging fealty to the vampire Queen of Louisiana and her slimy child, Andre.

It had been just dumb luck that Sophie-Ann had picked up his marker from that Texas pack and that Hadley had come into her life all around the same time. The Queen had wanted to know about her new main squeeze's family. She was interested in Hadley so she was interested in everything about her. She had given Sam the seed money, told him to stay low, report regularly, and maybe she would allow him to work off his debt in a few years It wasn't really an offer he could refuse. After all, the Queen had his mother's address. Refusal would mean direct and possibly fatal consequences for her. It was the last thing Sam wanted. She was living a quiet life, keeping her two-natured side a secret from her husband. She had no idea that he was in trouble and he wanted to keep it that way.