I knew something was wrong before I heard the scream. Our twin bond flared with sudden, white-hot pain and terror. I was already running out of Merlotte's, ignoring Sam calling after me, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"Sookie!" I shouted into the darkness, feeling her pain pulse through me like a beacon. The surrounding shadows writhed in response to my panic, stretching and twisting as I ran.
Then I saw them. The Rattray's. They were kicking my sister as she lay curled on the ground, and there was so much blood. Too much blood. Mack's boot connected with her ribs again, and I felt an echo of her pain tear through my chest.
The rage that filled me was primal. The shadows responded instantly, darkening the parking lot beyond what was natural. Mack and Denise didn't notice at first, too focused on their revenge.
"Hey!" I roared, charging forward. Denise turned, her face twisted with hate, but before either of them could react, something else moved in the darkness. A pale blur that I realized was Bill Compton.
The vampire grabbed Mack and threw him like he was nothing more than a rag doll. I reached Denise just as she was pulling out a knife; the shadows wrapping around her wrist at my command, making her drop it with a cry of surprise and pain.
But I barely registered what happened to the Rattray's after that. All I could see was Sookie, broken and bleeding on the ground. I fell to my knees beside her, my hands hovering over her battered body, afraid to touch and cause more pain.
"Sookie? Sook, can you hear me?" My voice cracked. Through our bond, I could feel her slipping away. "No, no, no..."
"She's dying." Bill's voice cut through my panic. He was suddenly beside us, his fangs extended, wrist already bleeding. "She needs blood to survive."
"Vampire blood?" I'd heard rumors about what it could do, but at that moment, feeling Sookie's life fading through our bond, I didn't care about the consequences. "Do it. Save her."
Bill pressed his bleeding wrist to Sookie's mouth. I held her hand, sending strength through our connection, feeling the exact moment the vampire blood hit her system. It was like electricity surging through her veins.
"The Rattray's?" I asked, not taking my eyes off my sister.
"They won't be a problem anymore," Bill replied darkly, and I decided I didn't need to know the details.
Slowly, Sookie's bones began to knit back together. The bruises faded before my eyes. Her breathing became stronger and more regular. Through our bond, I felt her pain receding, replaced by something else-a strange, euphoric sensation that must have been the vampire blood.
"Jesse?" she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. They were dilated, and unfocused. "What happened?"
"Shh," I soothed, brushing hair from her face. "You're okay now. You're okay."
But she wasn't entirely okay, and I knew it. The vampire blood now flowing through her veins would change things. I could already feel it affecting our twin bond, adding a layer of sensation I didn't quite understand.
"We need to get her home," Bill said, gathering Sookie in his arms with surprising gentleness. "She'll heal faster with rest."
I nodded, standing on shaky legs. "Gran can't know about this. About the blood. It would worry her too much."
"Agreed," Bill replied. "We'll say she was attacked but managed to fight them off with your help. The less anyone knows about vampire blood, the better."
As we walked to Bill's car, I glanced back at the parking lot. The shadows were normal again, but I knew there was blood on the ground somewhere in the darkness. The Rattray's' blood. And I found I didn't feel a shred of remorse about that.
In the car, I held Sookie's hand while Bill drove. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, occasionally giggling at nothing - a side effect of the blood, I assumed. Through our bond, I could feel her emotions spinning like a kaleidoscope: fear, relief, pain, and something else... something directed at Bill that made me uneasy.
"Will she..." I started to ask.
"She'll be fine," Bill assured me. "But the blood... it creates a connection. She'll be able to sense my emotions, my presence. And her own emotions toward me may be... intensified."
Great. Just great. As if things weren't complicated enough.
When we got home, I helped Bill carry Sookie to her room. Gran was already asleep, thankfully. We cleaned Sookie up as best we could and got her into bed. The worst of her injuries were healed, but she'd be sore for a while.
"Thank you," I said to Bill as he prepared to leave. "For saving her. But if anything happens to her because of this blood..."
"I understand," he replied, meeting my eyes. "I give you my word. I'll protect her."
After he left, I sat in the chair by Sookie's bed, watching her sleep. The bond between us felt different now, altered by the vampire blood flowing through her veins. But underneath that, she was still my twin, still my sister.
"We're in it now, Sook," I whispered, taking her hand. The shadows in the room curled protectively around her bed as I settled in for a long night's watch. "We're really in it now."
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I must have dozed off in the chair because I woke to sunlight streaming through Sookie's window and the sound of Gran moving around downstairs. My neck was stiff, but I didn't want to leave my sister alone after what happened. Through our bond, I could feel her starting to wake up, her consciousness bubbling with sensations I'd never felt from her before.
"Morning," Sookie mumbled, stretching like a cat in the sunlight. Then her eyes flew open wide. "Oh my God."
"What? What's wrong?" I sat up straight, instantly alert.
"Everything's so... bright. And loud. And..." she sat up, running her hands over her ribs where the worst kicks had landed. "I'm not even bruised."
"Vampire blood," I reminded her quietly, getting up to close her door so Gran wouldn't overhear. "How do you feel?"
She stood up, moving to her mirror, and I felt a wave of amazement flow through our bond. "I feel... amazing. Look at my skin! I'm glowing. And my hair..." She ran her fingers through it, mesmerized.
I had to admit; that she did look different. Her skin was luminous, her hair shinier, and there was something almost ethereal about her movements. But there was something else too, something that made me uncomfortable.
"Sookie," I said carefully, "your kind of... vibrating."
She turned to me with a dreamy smile. "I know. I feel so alive. Everything's so intense. The colors, the sounds, the feelings..." She paused, her cheeks flushing. "Oh!"
The wave of lust that suddenly flooded through our bond made me stumble back. "Whoa! Sook, please shield that!"
"Sorry!" She concentrated, and the feeling dimmed slightly. "I just... I had a dream about Bill."
"Yeah, I don't need to know about that." I rubbed my temples. "We need to figure out what to tell Gran about last night."
As if on cue, Gran's voice floated up the stairs. "Sookie? Jesse? Breakfast is ready!"
We shared a look. "Stick to the story," I said. "You were attacked. I helped fight them off, they ran away. Nothing about Bill or vampire blood."
Sookie nodded, but then frowned, looking down at her unmarked skin. "How do we explain why I'm not hurt?"
I grabbed a light jacket from her closet and tossed it to her. "Keep this on. Say you're just bruised and sore. Which technically isn't a lie-you're just healing faster than normal."
Downstairs, Gran had made her famous chocolate chip pancakes. The smell hit me hard, reminding me I hadn't eaten since before the attack. But Sookie... Sookie was practically moaning over her food.
"Good Lord," she exclaimed, taking another bite. "Gran, these are the best pancakes I've ever had in my life!"
Gran beamed, but I could see her studying Sookie with concern. "Are you sure you're alright, sweetheart? When Jesse told me you'd been attacked..."
"I'm fine, Gran," Sookie assured her, shooting me a grateful look. "Just a little sore. Jesse got there in time, and those awful Rattray's ran off."
"They won't be bothering anyone anymore," I added quietly, thinking of Bill's words last night.
"Well, thank the Lord for that," Gran said, pouring more coffee. "And thank goodness you two look out for each other. Though I wish you'd let me call the police..."
"No!" Sookie and I said simultaneously, then shared a guilty look.
"I mean," I continued smoothly, "they're gone now. No point in stirring up trouble."
After breakfast, Sookie and I went out to the porch. She was practically bouncing with energy, while I felt exhausted from the night's events.
"I can feel him," she said suddenly, looking toward the cemetery where the old Compton house stood. "Bill. He's resting, but... I can sense him."
"That's not creepy at all," I muttered, but reached for her hand. Through our bond, I could feel what she meant-a new awareness, like a compass pointing toward the vampire. "Sook, we need to talk about what this means."
"I know what you're going to say," she sighed but kept her eyes on the cemetery. "That it's dangerous, that we don't know enough about vampire blood, that Bill's intentions might not be what they seem."
"Well, yeah. All of that."
"But he saved my life, Jesse." She turned to me, her eyes bright with that new intensity. "And for the first time in my life, I feel... powerful. Special in a good way, not a weird way."
I wanted to argue that she'd always been special in a good way, but I could feel her happiness bubbling through our bond.
"Just promise me you'll be careful," I said finally. "And maybe ease up on the breakfast enthusiasm before Gran starts asking questions."
She laughed, the sound carrying across the yard. "I'll try. But Jesse?" Her face grew serious. "Thank you. For being there last night. For understanding."
I squeezed her hand, feeling the shadows stir comfortingly around us even in the bright morning light. "Always, Sook. That's what twins are for."
But as we sat there, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was stirring in Bon Temps, And somehow, I knew my sister would be right in the middle of it.
All I could do was make sure I was there to watch her back. Even if that meant dealing with vampires, blood bonds, and whatever else was coming our way.