“You know it.”

“This isn’t going to end well,” Pam said, as I got in my car.

I couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

She was right.

I ate a Little Debbie cinnamon roll when I got home, just because I thought I deserved one. I was so worried I couldn’t even think of going to bed just yet. Alexei had given me his own personal nightmare. I’d never heard of a vampire (or any other being, human or not) being able to transmit a memory like that. It struck me as peculiarly horrible that it should be Alexei who was so “gifted,” when he had such a ghastly memory to share. I went though the royal family’s excruciating ordeal again. I could understand why the boy was the way he was. But I could also understand why he might have to be—put to sleep. I pushed up from the table, feeling thoroughly exhausted. I was ready for bed. But my plan got altered when the doorbell rang.

You’d think, living out in the country at the end of a long driveway through the woods, that I would have plenty of warning of guests. But that wasn’t always the case, especially with supes. I didn’t recognize the woman I saw through the peephole, but I knew she was a vampire. That meant she couldn’t come in without being invited, so it was safe to find out why she was there. I opened the door, feeling mostly curious.

“Hi, can I help you?” I asked.

She looked me up and down. “Are you Sookie Stackhouse?”

“I am.”

“You e-mailed me.”

Alexei had blown out my brain cells. I was slow tonight. “Judith Vardamon?”

“The same.”

“So Lorena was your sire? Your maker?”

“She was.”

“Please come in,” I said, and stepped aside. I might have been making a big mistake, but I’d almost given up hope that Judith would respond to my message. Since she’d come all the way here from Little Rock, I thought I owed her that much trust.

Judith raised her eyebrows and stepped over my threshold. “You must love Bill, or else you’re a fool,” she said.

“Neither, I hope. You want some TrueBlood?”

“Not now, thank you.”

“Please, have a seat.”

I sat on the edge of the recliner while Judith took the couch. I thought it was incredible that Lorena had “made” both Bill and Judith. I wanted to ask a lot of questions, but I didn’t want to offend or irritate this vampire, who’d already done me a huge favor.

“Do you know Bill?” I said, to kick off the talk we had to have.

“Yes, I know him.” She seemed cautious, which was odd when I considered how much stronger she was than I.