Dead as a doornail - By Charlaine Harris Page 0,109

done.”

I kept my eyes shut and was grateful when Claudine turned to me and placed her tear-wet hands over my ears. A shout went up from the crowd when the thing was completed. The two fairies relaxed and gave me some room. I didn’t see what happened to the girl. Furnan remained naked, but as long as he was in a calm state, I could handle that.

To seal his status, the new packmaster began to receive the pledges of his wolves. They went in turn, oldest to youngest, I figured, after a moment’s observation. Each Were licked the back of Patrick Furnan’s hand and exposed his or her neck for a ritual moment. When it was Alcide’s turn, I suddenly realized there was potential for even more disaster.

I found I was holding my breath.

From the profound silence, I knew I wasn’t the only one.

After a long hesitation, Furnan bent over and placed his teeth on Alcide’s neck; I opened my mouth to protest, but Claudine clapped her hand over it. Furnan’s teeth came away from Alcide’s flesh, leaving it unscathed.

Packmaster Furnan had sent a clear signal.

By the time the last Were had performed the ritual, I was exhausted from all the emotion. Surely this was an end to it? Yes, the pack was dispersing, some members giving the Furnans congratulatory hugs, and some striding out silently.

I dodged them myself and made a beeline for the door. The next time someone told me I had to watch a supernatural rite, I was going to tell him I had to wash my hair.

Once out in the open air, I walked slowly, my feet dragging. I had to think about things I’d put to one side, like what I’d seen in Alcide’s head after the whole debacle was over. Alcide thought I’d failed him. He’d told me I had to come, and I had; I should have known he had some purpose in insisting I be present.

Now I knew that he’d suspected Furnan had some underhanded trick in mind. Alcide had primed Christine, his father’s ally, ahead of time. She made sure I used my telepathy on Patrick Furnan. And, sure enough, I had found that Jackson’s opponent was cheating. That disclosure should have ensured Jackson’s win.

Instead, the will of the pack had gone against Jackson, and the contest had continued with the stakes even higher. I’d nothing to do with that decision. But right now Alcide, in his grief and rage, was blaming me.

I was trying to be angry, but I was too sad.

Claude and Claudine said good-bye, and they hopped into Claudine’s Cadillac and peeled out of the parking lot as if they couldn’t wait to get back to Monroe. I was of the same mind, but I was a lot less resilient than the fairies. I had to sit behind the wheel of the borrowed Malibu for five or ten minutes, steadying myself for the drive home.

I found myself thinking of Quinn. It was a welcome relief from thinking of torn flesh and blood and death. When I’d looked into his head, I’d seen a man who knew his way. And I still didn’t have a clue as to what he was.

The drive home was grim.

I might as well have phoned in to Merlotte’s that evening. Oh, sure, I went through all the motions of taking orders and carrying them to the right tables, refilling pitchers of beer, popping my tips in the tip jar, wiping up spills and making sure the temporary cook (a vampire named Anthony Bolivar; he’d subbed for us before) remembered the busboy was off limits. But I didn’t have any sparkle, any joy, in my work.

I did notice that Sam seemed be getting around better. He was obviously restive, sitting in his corner watching Charles work. Possibly Sam was also a little piqued, since Charles just seemed to get more and more popular with the clientele. The vamp was charming, that was for sure. He was wearing a red sequined eye patch tonight and his usual poet shirt under a black sequined vest—flashy in the extreme, but entertaining, too.

“You seem depressed, beautiful lady,” he said when I came to pick up a Tom Collins and a rum and Coke.

“Just been a long day,” I said, making an effort to smile. I had so many other things to digest emotionally that I didn’t even mind when Bill brought Selah Pumphrey in again. Even when they sat in my section, I didn’t care. But when Bill took