The beauty of independence, departure, actions that rely on themselves.
- Walt Whitman, Song of the Broad Axe
Cabal
'This is treason, Sookie, do you understand? If we're discovered, the King will not hesitate. Death will be the least of our punishment.'
Not the reaction I was expecting.
'Eric,' I began, but found the words stuck in my throat. So I reached out a single hand and laid it against his chest, trusting him to know what I was feeling. How terrified I was.
'You told me once that you were the lesser of two evils,' I said. The alternative had been a forced allegiance to Andre.
He looked calmly down at me with those inscrutable blue eyes. A rogue, Bill had once described him; a maverick.
'I did.'
'Well I'm not waiting to be claimed this time like some kind of prize. I'm taking the initiative.' I was surprised at how steady my voice was.
'If we take power, there'll be no turning back,' he said, so matter-of-factly, I felt my fear draining away even as I took in what he was saying. He touched a strand of my hair, ever so lightly, as he gave me his honest opinion:
'No more illusions of going back to your uncomplicated, human life. After this, it's defend or die.'
In his world, maybe; and if I was simply a vampire. But I wasn't simply anything. I was Sookie Stackhouse, with all that that implied, and I was done with being a meek little pawn. Their rules and customs didn't have to apply to me if I didn't want them to.
'I've made up my mind,' I told him. 'So what do you say, lover?'
THE END
7 September 2008
