While I brooded, Appius was explaining to Eric how conveniently it had worked out in the cellar in Ekaterinburg. Alexei had almost bled out from his wounds, so he’d given the boy a big gulp of his blood—moving at superspeed, and therefore invisible to the execution squad. Then he’d watched from the shadows while the bodies were thrown down a well. The next day, the royal family was dug up again since the murderers feared the uproar that might follow the deaths of the Romanovs.

“I followed them the minute the sun set the next day,” Appius said. “They’d stopped to rebury them. Alexei and one of his sisters. ”

“Maria,” Alexei said softly, and I jumped. He had reappeared silently in the living room, standing behind Appius’s chair. “It was Maria.”

There was a silence. Appius looked hugely relieved. “Yes, of course, dear boy,” Appius said, and he did manage to sound as though he cared. “Your sister Maria was completely gone, but there was a tiny spark in you.” Alexei put his hand on Appius Livius’s shoulder, and Appius Livius reached up to pat him.

“They had shot him many times,” he explained to Eric. “Twice in the head. I put my blood directly in the bullet holes.” He turned his head to look at the boy behind him. “My blood worked well, since you had lost so much of yours.” It was like he was recollecting happy times. Hoo, boy. The Roman turned back to look at Eric and me, and he smiled proudly. But I could see Alexei’s face.

Appius Livius genuinely felt that he’d been a savior to Alexei. I wasn’t so sure Alexei was totally convinced of that.

“Where’s your brother?” Appius Livius suddenly asked, and I pushed to my feet to go find him. I had put two and two together, and I understood that Eric’s maker wanted to be sure Alexei hadn’t drained Jason and left him out in the yard.

Jason came into the living room just then, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. He narrowed his eyes. Jason was not a nuance kind of guy, but he could tell when I was unhappy. “Sorry,” he said. “Talkin’ to Michele.”

“Hmmm,” I said. I made a mental note that Appius Livius was worried about Alexei being alone with humans, and I knew that should scare me quite a bit. The night was growing older, and I had things to find out. “I hate to change the subject, but there are a few things I need to know.”

“What, Sookie?” Eric asked, looking directly at me for the first time since Old Master had popped up. He was pouring caution down the bond between us.

“I just have a couple of questions,” I said, smiling as sweetly as I could. “Have you been in this area for any length of time?”

I met the ancient dark eyes again. It was hard to take Appius all in, somehow; I found I couldn’t look at him as a cohesive individual. He scared the shit out of me.

“No,” he said mildly. “We have not. We’ve come here from the south-west, from Oklahoma, and we have only just arrived in Louisiana.”

“So you wouldn’t know anything about the new body buried at the back of my land?”

“No, nothing. Would you like us to go dig it up? Unpleasant, but doable. You are wanting to see who it is?”

That was an unexpected offer. Eric was looking at me very oddly. “I’m sorry, honey,” I told him. “I was trying to tell you when our unexpected guests showed up.”

“Not Debbie,” he said.

“No, Heidi says there’s a new burial. But we do need to know who it is, and we need to find out who put it there.”

“The Weres,” Eric said instantly. “This is the thanks you get for letting them use your land. I’ll call Alcide, and we’ll have a meeting.” Eric looked positively delighted to get the chance to do something bosslike. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed Alcide before I could say anything.

“Eric,” he said into the phone by way of identification. “Alcide, we have to talk.” I could hear the buzz on the other end of the line.

A moment later Eric said, “That’s not good, Alcide, and I am sorry to hear you have troubles. But I have other concerns. What did you do on Sookie’s land?”

Oh, crapanola.

“You should come here and see, then. I think some of your people have been bad. Very well, then. I’ll see you in ten minutes. I am at her house.”

He hung up, looking triumphant. “Alcide was in Bon Temps?” I asked.

“No, but he was on the interstate and nearly at our exit,” Eric explained. “He’s returning from some meeting in Monroe. The Louisiana packs are trying to present a united front to the government. Since they’ve never organized before, this is not going to work.” Eric snorted, clearly scornful. “The Weres are always—what did you say the other day about FEMA, Sookie? ‘A day late and a dollar short,’ right? At least he’s close, and when he gets here we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

I sighed, trying to make it discreet and silent. I hadn’t realized things would go so far so fast. I asked Eric, Appius Livius, and Alexei if they wanted more TrueBlood, but they turned it down. Jason was looking bored. I glanced at the clock.

“I’m afraid I have only one spot that’s suitable for a vampire. Where are you-all planning to sleep, come the dawn? I just want to know in case I need to call around and find a place.”

“Sookie,” said Eric gently, “I will take Ocella and his son back to my house. They can have the guest coffins there.”

Eric ordinarily slept in his bed, because his bedroom was windowless. There were a couple of other coffins in the guest bedroom, sleek fiberglass things that looked sort of like kayaks, which he kept stowed under the beds. The most wrong thing about Alexei and Appius Livius staying with Eric was that if they were there, I was definitely staying here.

“I think your darling would love to come in during the day and sink a stake into our chests,” Appius Livius said, as if that were a big joke. “If you think you can do it, young woman, you are welcome to try.”

“Oh, not at all,” I said, absolutely insincerely. “I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing to Eric’s dad.” Not a bad idea, though.

Beside me, Eric twitched all over; it was a funny movement, like a dog running in its sleep. “Be polite,” he told me, and there was no element of fun in his voice at all. He was giving me an order.

I took a deep breath. It was on the tip of my tongue to rescind Eric’s invitation to my house. He’d have to leave, and presumably Appius Livius and Alexei would, too. It was that “presumably” that stopped me. The idea of being alone with Appius Livius even for a second trumped the pleasurable vision of the three vampires walking out backward.

It was probably lucky for all of us that the doorbell rang then. I was out of my seat as if a rocket had fired me. It would be good to have more breathers around.

Alcide was wearing a suit. He was flanked by Annabelle, who was wearing a dark green sheath and heeled pumps, and Jannalynn, Sam’s new interest. Jannalynn had a sense of style, though it was a style that left me stunned. She had on a shiny silver dress that barely covered her assets and silver high-heeled sandals that laced up the front. The silver eye shadow over her heavily outlined eyes completed the look. In a scary kind of way, she looked great. Sam certainly dated women who were extraordinary in some way, and he wasn’t afraid of strong characters, which was a thought I’d have to save for later. Maybe it was a two-natured thing? Alcide was the same way.

I gave the packleader a hug, and I said hello to Annabelle and to Jannalynn, who gave me a curt nod.

“What is this problem Eric called me about?” Alcide was saying as I stood aside to let them enter. When the Weres realized they were in a room with three vampires, all of them tensed. They’d expected only Eric. When I glanced back at the vampires, I saw they were all standing, too, and even Alexei was on the alert.

Jason said, “Alcide, good to see you. Ladies, looking mighty fine tonight.”