CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

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           SOOKIE HAD TAKEN A LIKING TO ALCIDE THE MOMENT SHE HAD MET HIM AND DAKOTA COULDN'T BLAME HER. He was very kind, charming, respectful, something that was lacking in most of the population in Bon Temps recently.

Alcide had driven the two of them to Jackson in his truck the moment Sookie had gotten home, they wanted to get there before dark and it was a long drive. The werewolf had taken them to his home first, to drop off their luggage.

"It is not far from here." said Alcide, turning right once the traffic lights sprung green.

Sookie was typically herself as she talked his ears off, wanting to know everything there was to know about werewolves. Dakota glanced out the window, zoning out their conversation until the truck came to a halt on the side of the road.

"Like at all?"

This was all Dakota caught from their conversation and she noticed Alcide growing weary with how much her cousin wanted to know about his kind. "Sook, let the man breathe."

"It's alright." he smiled, stepping from the vehicle and turning to look at the sign for Lou Pine's Beer across the street. "We're here. Now I need both of you to be very cautious. Don't leave my side unless I deem it safe to do so. Not all werewolves are accepting of humans and Northman will have my head if anything happens to you."

"As if he cares." muttered Dakota darkly as she and Sookie joined his side, making their way towards the bar.

There were a few people huddled together outside the bar, music came from within the building as Alcide guided both woman to the front. The music was loud inside, but not so loud where she couldn't think. There were wolf prints hanging on the walls, it was filled with mostly men, covered in tattoos as they threw back shots.

"Might not look like much," started Alcide, glancing down at Dakota. "but Lou Pine's, is the oldest were bar in Mississippi."

"Alcide," cheered a man to their right and the wolf beside her beamed at him, shaking his hand in a friendly matter. He wore a leather sleeveless vest, muscles bulging from beneath his skin. "it's nice to see a face from the old pack."

"Figured the new wolves are drinking enough for all of us." replied Alcide, eyes roaming the bar in search of anyone familiar.

The man grinned at him before his eyes fell onto Dakota and Sookie with a raised brow, smelling them discreetly. Definitely not werewolf. "Who're the civilians?"

"They're cool." he reassured him, squeezing both their shoulders protectively. "They're my friends."

"Nice to meet you." Sookie smiled politely as she held out her hand.

Dakota was still looking around the bar before she glanced down at herself, taking in her attire. It was like being back at Fangtasia those months ago, she was not dressed for the occasion and she felt out of place. The navy blue dress that clung to her body was nothing like the other females wore, they were all mini skirts and leather jackets.

"Am I not dressed properly?" she questioned, eyeing Alcide.

"You're dressed like dinner." said the man, taking her in before his eyes fell on Sookie, who was wearing a white lace shirt and a denim skirt, sticking out even more than she did.

Alcide furrowed his brows and took a step closer to the cousins and said, "I'll keep an eye on them, Hollis." The tall werewolf led the two of them toward the bar and he kept his eyes in the costumers, nodding to himself. "I think we can split up. It will be alright. If they see you with me, they're not going to talk."

"Where are you going to be?" asked Sookie.

"With my guys." he shot her a quick glance. "I'll be watching you. Make it quick, for your own sakes."

Dakota squeezed Sookie's hand and made her way through the bar slowly, glancing around while letting her walls crumble to allow any thought from within the room to enter her mind. There was a group of men in the right corner of the room and she saw Sookie go the opposite way, so she walked up to them, grin on her face.

"Hello, boys." she said, leaning against their table with her hip. Three of them looked up at her, brows raised as they took in her figure. "I am so stupid, but I left my wallet in the car and I am parched. Would any of you mind getting a girl a cosmo?"

"You here alone, creampuff?" one asked, watching her hungrily. "Then you are stupid."

"Oh," she chuckled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I have been to much tougher places than this. Any of you ever heard of a place Fangtasia in Louisiana?"

"You a fangbanger?"

Dakota knew she had them right there as she nodded. "There's nothing meaner or stronger than a vampire. What's not to like?"

"You'd be surprised." He was much older than she was and he smirked down at her, his thoughts loud. If you knew we kicked the shit out of one a couple of days ago, you'd be on your knees right quick.

Dakota caught a whiff of the alcohol on his breath and took a step toward him, brushing her hand up his chest. "Why don't you tell me about it."

The woman tried to hold her breath as imagines of Bill flooded her mind. He was screaming, covered in blood as three men bit into his flesh, trying to lap up any blood that was spilling from his skin. They were laughing, happy with the torture they were inflicting on the vampire.

"Let's talk about it in private." he nodded, grabbing the back of her neck and she winched as the guys behind them began the cheer. He led her into a back room, pushing her so that she stumbled forwards and turned to face him, alarmed. "Me first or you?"

He was about to plant a kiss on her mouth when she reached up to rest her hands on his chest. This wasn't what Dakota had in mind and she panicked. "So, you know a vampire? Can you take me to him?"

"Like a three way sort of deal?" he wondered, interest peaked.

"Come on, where is he?" Her hands roamed down his chest, resting on his belt in the hopes to coax more out of him on Bill's whereabouts. The things she did for her cousin.

He growled down at her, glare appearing on his face as he grabbed both her wrists tightly. "Shut the fuck up. I got more vampire blood inside of me than you think." He leaned down, ready to do whatever it was he wanted to do with her when she screamed as loud as she could.

"Hey, asshole!"

He was ripped from her when Alcide's fist connected with his face. The werewolf retaliated and grabbed him around the waist, throwing him into the wall. The two of them fell through the door and into the main bar. Sookie rushed to her cousin's side and wrapped and arm around her as they ventured back into the room.

Two other wolves were holding Alcide back as the man who had drank Bill's blood repeatedly hit him in the stomach.

"We have to stop them!" Dakota warned, eyes wide at the scene before her, but she knew they were no match for a group of angry werewolves.

Hollis came up behind the man and hit him in the head with a bat, causing him to drop to the floor with a groan. The two man who were holding Alcide let him go and he fell to his knees, holding onto his stomach in pain.

"I am going to run out of bats if you keep this up." said Hollis, spitting at the floor. "Now get him out of here! Now!"

One of them bared his teeth, before reaching down to grab the injured wolf and hauling him from the bar, followed out by the rest of his pack members. Dakota watched them go before she kneeled down by Alcide's side, worried for his well-being.

"Come on, man." said Hollis as he looked down at his friend. "She ain't worth it."

"I barely know her." Alcide brushed him off with a shake of his head, thinking he had meant Dakota or Sookie.

"I meant Debbie."

"What about Debbie?"

"Oh, shit." Hollis sighed, running a desperate hand over his face. Alcide peered up at him, brows furrowed as he waited for an elaboration. "Uh, Debbie is getting engaged to Coot."

Alcide closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he took in the information about his ex-girlfriend. "Come on, Hollis. Don't do this."

"The party is tomorrow night. Here. I'm sorry I gotta be the one to break it to you."

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ALCIDE GROANED OUT IN PAIN AS DAKOTA PRESSED A CLOTH DOSED WITH ALCOHOL ONTO HIS BACK, BLOOD SOAKING THE MATERIAL. He had scratched his back pretty badly when the werewolf had thrown him into the wall. "Sorry," she apologised as she rested her hand on his shoulder. "don't take it personally. That werewolf had vampire blood in his veins."

"Bills, in fact," Sookie nodded, glad they finally had a real lead. "so I know it is strong."

"Werewolves doing V?" he scoffed, holding an icepack to his ribs as he rolled his eyes at her words. "Goes against everything we stand for. The rest of the pick into that shit?"

"The ones who took Bill at least." nodded Dakota as she dipped the cloth back into the bowl beside her on his bed. "I saw them. They were drinking from him in a car before he began to think other nasty stuff."

"Like I need more reasons to hate them - OW!"

"Sorry," Dakota muttered, grimacing when she dapped at another cut on his skin.

"Is Debbie your ex-girlfriend?" wondered Sookie aloud as she looked outside from beside his window. It was still dark outside, the clock barely striking two in the morning when they had reached his home.

"She's my fiancé." he confessed, taking a deep breath. "She moved out a month ago."

"A month?" Sookie asked, letting out a small laugh as her eyes wandered around his apartment. "And you still haven't gotten new furniture?"

"I don't have time for it."

"You ever hear from her?" questioned Dakota as she began to place bandages on his cuts.

"My sister, Janice, does." he nodded. "She runs a beauty parlour. Debbie still goes in to get her hair done up." When she pressed the last of the bandages onto his back he glanced over his shoulder to look at her.

Dakota offered him a smile, patting his shoulder. "All done."

The sound of Sookie's phone ringing got her to turn around. "Hello?" Sookie answered. "Hello? Bill? ... Are you hurt? I know the werewolves have you." Dakota sat on the edge of Alcide's bed beside him as she tried to listen whatever Bill had to say, but she couldn't make anything out. "Shut the fuck up." Sookie frowned. "The last time I saw you, you asked me to marry you ... You have to say that. Someone is listening." Tears had filled her eyes as her hand made its way toward her mouth as she cried. "Bill ... that's not true. I don't believe you."

Dakota stood and walked her way concern as her cousin hung up the phone, tears spilling down her cheeks as she sobbed loudly.

"Sook, what happened?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her shoulders before bringing her into a tight embrace.

"I think he just broke up with me. He - he doesn't want to be found." she cried into her neck. "What does he mean he doesn't what to be found?"

"Pretty sure it means he doesn't want to see you anymore." Alcide voiced and quickly shut up when Dakota shot him a glare over her shoulder. He held up his hands in defence before standing up from his mattress.

"That isn't what he said!" Sookie panicked, meeting Dakota's eyes who looked at her with pity. "That wasn't the man I love."

"Maybe the man you love never existed." Alcide shrugged. "Only in your head."

"If that is supposed to make me feel better? It doesn't." Sookie looked up at him, wiping at her eyes furiously as she slid down the wall, pulling her knees to her chest. "He asked me to marry him."

"No matter how well you think you know somebody, they can still turn around and kick you in the nut sac."

"I don't have a nut sac, and Bill ... he's risked everything for me. Our love is way bigger than breaking up with me over the phone."

Sookie began to cry again, sobs wreaking through the apartment and Dakota and Alcide shared a grimace. Sookie was right, though, it didn't sound anything like Bill. His love for her cousin was genuine and he'd never break it off over the phone like that.

"She's right." she told Alcide. "It is out of character for him. There's more to this."

"We'll finish this in the morning." And with that, he left the cousins to themselves for the night.