Eric:
"Your majesty, I confess." I turned back to him after being blindsided by Bill. "I sold the blood at my queen's command and accused Bill to protect her. So what do I do now? Unless I give the Magister Compton, he'll murder my progeny."
"Darling, that's so sad." Edgington's partner turned to him.
Russell growled, standing from the table. "The Magister is a nasty little anachronistic toad. A ridiculous remnant of the middle ages. The only power he has over us is the power we give him. There may be a way to solve all of our problems. Sleep here." He turned to me.
"You're more than welcome." His boyfriend smirked.
"How can I refuse?"
I had to play the game. Edgington was the oldest vampire still around, even older than Godric. I needed him and whatever plan he was coming up with. I couldn't bring up Melanie. If he knew I cared for a human, it would make him question me and that wasn't something I could afford. Not after he'd already caught me lying about Compton.
It was good to know that Bill was here on his own accord. With him in Jackson, he'd confirmed Sookie was no longer his and it only made it easier to hand him to the magister without Melanie's resentment. He held no ties to Sookie Stackhouse any longer and in my eyes that was the only reason he'd remained alive.
Melanie:
"Your bleeds are gone." I looked over at Pam, leaning my head against my arm as I struggled for balance.
The Magister had gone to rest with all but two of his security hours ago, leaving Pam and I chained in Eric's torture wheel in the basement. I still hadn't wrapped my mind about how I'd gotten into this predicament but I had to hold it together. I was not going to die in the basement of a vampire bar. I don't know what Eric planned to come back with or if he could even prove that Bill was somehow responsible for this but we needed to have faith.
Pam looked at the guards on the stairs behind us before looking at me shaking her head. "It must be getting dark again."
I sighed, watching as she wiped the blood from her ear with her shoulder, unable to use her hands. "Do you think he'll let us go if Eric does find Bill?"
"No fucking clue."
Pam was usually pretty short with me. Most days I couldn't be bothered to deal with her attitude but if she wasn't going to sleep, I wasn't going to sit here and bore myself to death before he even came back.
"So why did Eric turn you?"
"You really think this is time for bonding?" She turned her head to look at me.
"Ladies!" The magister's voice rang from the stairs.
Both of us stood straighter as we watched him come down the stairs. He grabbed one of the poles on the wheel and pushed it, causing us to spin around. I could feel my stomach turning and he just looked amused.
"What shall we do until Mr. Northman comes back?" He chimed as he pulled the wheel to a stop. "I know, why don't I see how close I can bring you to death, I've always been curious as to who feels more pain humans or vampires?"
My eyes widened as we watched his guards hand him a pair of gloves before they laid a large case on the table. He opened it to show a large collection of silver knives.
"You told him he had two days. You gave him your word you wouldn't kill us." I reminded him, my voice full of panic.
"I don't plan on killing you, but you'll be begging me too by the time I'm finished with you."
He turned to look at the table, carefully going through his choices before picking out a rather sharp knife. He pressed the silver against Pam's exposed stomach and she screamed out in pain. A smirk curved onto his lips as he turned to me, ripping open my shirt before he sliced the blade into my stomach, dragging it down. I screamed out trying to get away but I couldn't.
He brought the blade to his lips and licked my blood from it. His fangs dropped and in an instant he was in front of me, pulling my hair back to expose my neck before he sank them in.
Eric:
A sharp pain in my chest almost brought me to my knees. It was Pam and Melanie. They were in pain. That son of a bitch was torturing them.
The front doors opened and a familiar voice yelling caught my attention. I followed the noise to see Sookie being thrown to a security guard while Bill was tossed to the ground.
"Well, guess who turned out to be completely unworthy of our trust." Russell said as he walked over to his husband.
"No!" He said in surprise.
"Why?" Lorena walked in from the other room. "What's happened?"
"He's been hiding something very interesting from us all." Russell addressed the room.
Bill snapped a railing from the staircase and staked one of the guards then jumped over Edgington's shoulders to stake him. With as little as a shrug, Edgington tossed him into the ceiling like a rag doll and watched as he fell onto the stairs.
"Bill!" Sookie screamed.
"Are you serious?" Russell laughed. "I'm almost 3,000 years old!"
Sookie tried to run past him to go to Bill but I got between them.
"Eric, get her out of here, please!" Compton begged.
I grabbed her arm, dragging her to Edgington. "I wouldn't let go of this if I were you. I don't know what it is but it's quite valuable."
"I will never forgive you for this Eric Northman!" Sookie protested as I held onto her.
"Oh," I smiled. "It thinks we're equals."
Edgington chuckled. "Oh, but it's wrong. Isn't it?"
"Eric, what the fuck!?" She tried to pull away.
"Indeed." I agreed, spinning Sookie around. "I haven't had the pleasure of tasting it yet, but all my instincts say it would be quite extraordinary.
"Do you care nothing about our home?!" Talbot stepped forward.
"Not now, Talbot"
"WHEN!?" He yelled before storming upstairs.
Russell excused himself to deal with his partner. He gave orders to Lorena to kill Bill Compton but without him, I couldn't get Melanie and Pam. Compton could die after that for all I cared. Edgington was going to. I'd make sure of that. Seeing my father's crown on his display case solidified my suspicions.
I held my chest almost falling over in pain again before catching myself on the mantel of the fireplace.
"So all that stuff about caring about me, that was just crap?" She continued.
"I have never said I cared about you." I paced back and forth, trying to come up with anyway to take care of this whole thing.
"You big phony. Big hat, no cattle."
"Do you mind? I'm trying to think here."
"I thought you said my life was to valuable to throw away."
"You are valuable, but not to me."
"Sookie, I'm risking everything to tell you this because you mean so much -." She mocked in a deeper voice.
I leaned forward so we were face to face and she leaned back in fear. "You mean nothing to me. Understand? Nothing. The only reason you're still alive is because of your sister. If it were up to me, I would've left you for dead after your first fuck up with the maenad. So spare me your narcissistic babbling. I'm very close to getting something I've wanted since I was still human. Do not get in my way."
"Does she even know what you're up to? She would hate you just as much as I do if she ever found out what you're doing to me and to Bill."
She was right, but her life was worth more to me than anyone here and I wasn't going to let her sister ruin any of this.
OOO
"Shouldn't we have taken exit I-12?" I looked at Russell as we drove past the exit.
"Oh we're not going to Shreveport." He chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll deal with your magister problem in time."
Fucking shit. I don't know how much longer I could wait for this. The two had been in constant pain for the last day and a half. The only time I wasn't feeling anything was during the day when the Magister must've been resting but now it was back.
The car pulled to a stop in front the queen's mansion. Edgington was out and killing most of her guards before I'd even opened the door. I helped with a few before following him inside. I could hear her protesting before I slammed her to the floor by her throat.
I chuckled as she dropped her fangs. "Oh, I am older and stronger than you. I only submitted in the past because of respect. But you framed me! So I renounce any and all allegiance to you. I am his now."
"I refuse to grant you -"
I strengthened my grip causing her to gasp for air. "I will rip your head off and throw it into the pool."
Russell called me off of him and I stood, walking back over to him.
"So," He smirked. "Yes or no."
"Goddamit." She let out a defeated sigh as she stood. Crossing her arms over her chest like the brat that she was.
"Splendid! Sun will be up soon. We'll sleep here and we'll drop by Fangtasia on the way back to Jackson."
"As you wish."
Melanie:
"Come on blondie, stay with me. " I could vaguely hear Pam's voice.
The magister had been torturing us every waking hour and since that first taste of my blood, he hadn't stopped drinking from me. Unlike Pam though, I didn't heal. He hadn't even bothered to close up my wounds with his blood. I could barely keep my eyes open and my heartbeat was so slow that I couldn't hold myself up anymore. The only thing keeping me standing was the chains attached to my wrists. He had felt no pity or no sense of mercy as he peeled off pieces of our flesh. Picking and probing at the wounds for his own enjoyment. I had no idea what I looked like and if it hadn't been for Pam trying to talk to me every few minutes, I wasn't sure I was even alive.
"Oh, there's no use." The magister came around, yanking my head back by my hair. "As proven time and time again, humans cannot hold up like we can."
"Enough!" A loud voice caused my hair to be let go of, letting my head fall forward again.
"Eric!" Pam said relieved.
I could feel the relief hit my body but the amount of pain I was in caused me to whimper.
"Mr. Northman. It's only enough if Bill Compton's with you. Is he?"
"No magister but the queen of Louisiana is."
I heard a couple more voices enter before the conversation got louder. Familiar hands cupped my cheeks trying to make eye contact but I could barely keep conscious. Eric moved his hands from my face to my chains but the of magister's angry tone made him stop.
"They stay!" He yelled.
After more talking and yelling, my chains were removed rapidly and I felt myself free fall to the ground before falling into Eric's arms.
"Melanie, babe." He patted my cheek to wake me. I could hear him talking to Pam before his wrist was pressed against my lips. "Come on, drink. Babe. You need to drink."
I drank hungrily, partially to feel better, partially out of starvation. The two spoke in a different language above me before they were interrupted.
"Alright, now that that's done. Off to Jackson we go. Bring Ms. De Beaufort with you. "
"All due respect your majesty, I'd like to stay here." Pam spoke out.
"Pam is very attached to her pet." Eric stroked my hair.
Pet? If I had any energy at all I would've used it to knock some sense into him.
"Yes." Pam agreed. "The magister almost drained her. Not even Eric's blood is healing her fast enough."
"And who is this?" He asked, his hands moving my face side to side to get a better look at me. "She smells delicious."
"Tammy." Pam answered quickly. "She's a Fangtasia employee."
"Fine. You stay here with your toy. Northman, You come with me." He said as his voice got farther and farther away.
"Watch her. Anything happens. You let me know." He whispered to Pam before leaning down and pressing his lips against my forehead. "I'm so sorry."
