A/N: Cat and Russell continue to manipulate everyone. This chapter includes a scene of torture of a sexual nature. I'm just giving a forewarning in case that might be offensive to some.
Chapter 14
I
"Why have I been brought here?" demanded Senator Evans.
"Somebody wants to see you," replied Cat. She had her hand on his arm and propelled him into the room. Senator Evans saw a large and formally attired study. Long, silk drapes adorned windows that ran from the floor to the lofty ceiling. Highly oiled and polished paneling made up the walls and a delicate chandelier gave off a low light. Cat walked forward with Senator Evans in tow but when he saw the figure sitting behind the desk, he began to falter.
"No, it can't be," he gasped.
"Surprise, surprise," said Russell in a sing-song voice. "Perhaps we should let our guest take a seat, my dear, before he does a face plant on the carpet."
"As you wish," replied Cat. She pushed the Senator down into a chair placed before the desk and continued on to perch on the edge of the desk. She crossed her arms over her chest and gazed at Senator Evans.
"You didn't frighten him, did you?" asked Russell as the human sat in the chair and stared at them with bugged eyes.
"Who me?"
"I forget who I'm dealing with sometimes," muttered Russell. "My apologizes, Senator. My associate can be a little brusque at times."
"But…you're dead."
"Then, I must be a ghost," chuckled Russell.
Senator Evan's eyes flashed between Russell and the female vampire sitting on the edge of the desk. Russell was wearing a formal black tuxedo and his companion was wearing a light-weight trench coat over black slacks and expensive Italian shoes. He had been snatched from his party as he had escaped for a breath of fresh air. He didn't know which vampire scared him more. Psycho killer Russell or that quiet vampire who told him to stop whining in the car or she would throw him out the window. They were driving over 50 miles per hour at the time and he didn't think that it had been an idle threat.
"Please don't hurt me," he begged.
"My dear boy," replied Russell. "You have me all wrong. You're quite safe, I assure you. You see, I was suffering from a little mental breakdown before. I'm really nothing like the person who killed that news anchorman on television."
"He went a little off the tracks," said Cat. "Completely understandable if you knew the circumstances behind what happened."
"What…what circumstances?"
"My dear, could you elaborate for the dear Senator," asked Russell. "It's still a painful subject for me."
"Of course, Russell," replied Cat. She turned her eyes to Senator Evans. "You see it was all just a misunderstanding. Russell Edgington has spent untold hundreds of years being a law abiding member of society. He was the King of Mississippi and there isn't a smirch upon his record before that unfortunate incident. What the public doesn't know is that Russell was under extreme mental duress at the time. His child and consort of seven hundred years had been brutally murdered."
"I'm terribly sorry," said Senator Evans, cautiously.
"Because the perpetrator was a vampire, he couldn't bring his grief out into the open," said Cat. "And as hard as it is to believe, the vampire authorities at the time turned a blind eye to his plight."
"Why would they do something like that?"
"Simple politics, Senator," replied Cat. "They thought that such a high profile crime would sully the public image of vampires and they didn't want anything to interfere with the passing of the Vampire Rights Amendment. This lack of justice drove Russell Edgington over the edge and caused him to lash out at the very vampires who had refused to listen to him. Your unfortunate newscaster was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Tragic," murmured Russell. "Not one of my better moments."
"Now, I'm happy to say that there is new leadership in the vampire high council. They have taken another look at the incident and have been much more understanding. During this year that Russell has been presumed dead, he has been under the constant care of the best vampire medical doctors in the world. They had conducted numerous tests and found that Russell had suffered from a temporary mental breakdown and wasn't responsible for that rather unfortunate incident," said Cat.
"What exactly are you saying?" asked Senator Evans.
"I'm saying that I can provide sworn medical statements that will shed light on Russell's actions. I have all the documentation that is needed by vampire and human experts," said Cat. "I also have met with the family of that unfortunate newscaster and explained to them the complete circumstances that led to the death of their loved one. After reviewing all the information and hearing a heartfelt apology from Russell, himself, they understand that he wasn't responsible for his actions. Along with his breakdown and that year of confinement, they believe that he had suffered enough."
"How very compassionate of them," replied the Senator.
"Yes, the capacity for love and forgiveness in the human heart always amazes me," said Russell.
"What exactly do you want from me?" asked the Senator.
"I want you to punish the guilty party for this crime that Russell has been held the scapegoat for," said Cat. "And to clear Russell of all charges."
"I don't have that kind of power."
"I've seen your files," said Cat. "Those secret ones that have the dirt on everyone at the capitol. I always knew that your stellar career was based on more than your good looks and charm. You are the go-to man, Senator Evans."
"I think that I can help you," he replied. "Especially if the family will publicly get with the program."
"They'll do whatever is necessary," replied Cat. "Just as you will. I had all your personal files hacked into. My, my, you are a naughty boy. All those undocumented donations that went straight to your overseas accounts. And let's not forget your several mistresses and illicit affairs."
Senator Evans paled. "I'll get it done, you have my word. But, just who is taking the fall?"
"William Compton, the King of Louisiana," replied Cat. "Beside the unfortunate Talbot, we have proof that he also attained his current crown by assassinating the former regent."
Russell made a strangled noise behind Cat and wept. "Such treachery. I invited that mongrel into my own home and he betrayed my trust."
The Senator stood up. "I'll need all your documentation and have all the medical personnel ready to give public testimony."
"The chauffeur will see you home Senator," said Cat. "The rewards for helping us are very lucrative. A large anonymous donation to your Swiss bank account happened just minutes ago. But, know this, I will destroy you if you are foolish enough to try and double cross me."
After the senator left, Russell turned to Cat. "You did make copies of all his personal files, didn't you?"
"How can you even ask that?" replied Cat.
Russell pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Just checking, Princess. Let's celebrate a little."
Cat raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"
"Hmm, tall, dark and delicious?" replied Russell, kissing her hand again.
"I get first bite," replied Cat.
"How can I ever refuse you, Caterina," replied Russell. He stood up and straightened his jacket and held out a hand to Cat.
"You can't," replied Cat with a smirk. "I know where all your skeletons are buried, Daddy."
Russell chuckled and pulled her into his side as they exited the room. "Are you sure that you're not interested in the consort position? Brains, beauty and ruthlessness are a complete turn-on, you little minx."
II
Bill and Eric entered the formerly abandoned warehouse. But, it was far from abandoned tonight. Laser lights and a driving beat assaulted their ears and eyes. Scores of vampires dressed in party gear were cavorting on the makeshift dance floor. They stopped before an elaborate, gilded chair that was raised up a little platform. A spotlight roved over the crowd and stopped when it illuminated them. The music abruptly cut off and they saw the crowd part as two vampires made their way across the floor. One was the blond authority representative. She wore her hair loose and was dressed in a shimmery sheath dress of pale gold. Holding her hand, was a dark-haired vampire dressed in a fine Italian suit with highly shined and expensive shoes. Bill's frowned as he saw him and Cesare stared boldly back.
"What is he doing here?" asked Bill. "Is he the investigator?"
"He works for her," replied Lucrezia. She made a signal and the lights brightened. A hush fell over the crowd as they again parted. But, this time they dipped their heads in a bow. A tinkling sound accompanied the new arrival as she made her way through the crowd. As she came into view, Bill noticed that she wore silver spurs on her knee-high riding boots. A black velvet jacket that fell to her knees topped a lace-draped white shirt underneath. Bill audibly growled as Cat approached Lucrezia and Cesare. She held out her hand and they each kissed her ring. Cat then stepped up and took a seat on the throne.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Bill. "Who is she?"
"Hello, I'm right here," replied Cat. "It's not polite to talk over my head."
"Arrest her," demanded Bill to Eric.
Cat's eyes crinkled in a smile as she turned her eyes to Eric. "Well, Sheriff, it's your move, I guess."
"I bow to the will of the Authority," said Eric. "Like any good vampire citizen."
Cat turned her eyes back to Bill. "I guess that settles that."
"Who the hell are you?" demanded Bill.
"I have many names," replied Cat. "My true name is Caterina Borgia."
"Borgia?" gasped Bill. "I wasn't aware that any Borgias were vampires."
"It was a secret," replied Cat. She made a slight signal and a line of SWAT vampire guards moved in behind Bill and Eric. Cat smiled. "I see my family's reputation precedes me."
"What is going on here?" demanded Bill.
"We're here to discuss the matter of a murdered Authority representative and her guards," replied Cat. She sat forward in her chair and focused on Bill. "Now, I know that you killed her and I'm pretty sure I know why you did it. But, I'd like for you to officially admit your guilt."
"I don't know what you are talking about," replied Bill.
"I found her bodyguards remains and her fangs on your property," said Cat. "You were the last known person that she visited. The evidence looks pretty damning to me."
"I demand a trial," hissed Bill.
"This is a trial, idiot," hissed back Cat. She leaned back in her chair and fiddled with the lace on one of her sleeves. "Nan might have been an ice queen, but she kept meticulous records. Every minute detail of your association with her was preserved for prosperity. I had that little laptop that I was found in the same well examined. They managed to restore the hard drive. It contained her private notes. Fascinating reading, I must say. Do you want to know what I found on there?"
Bill fidgeted. "It's still the word of a traitor against mine."
"Alright, I have more," said Cat. She snapped her fingers and two of her guards threw a male figure to the ground before the throne. His shirt was missing and his black hair was disheveled. Numerous vampire bites marred the muscular perfection of his body. He groaned and weakly tried to raise himself up, but his quivering muscles failed him.
"I give you Alcide Herveax," said Cat. "The fourth member in this little romantic thing that all of you have going on. Sookie Stackhouse and her bevy of lovers."
"What have you done to him?" asked Bill.
"Upset that I haven't killed him?" asked Cat. "After all he has banged you sweet little girlfriend, along with Eric, of course. Talk about awkward. How do all of you manage to make that work?"
"Our personal business isn't any concern of yours," hissed Bill.
"I mean you must be jealous, aren't you?" taunted Cat. "Alcide and Eric are so much….bigger than you, if you know what I mean."
"Is this personal knowledge?" sneered Bill.
When Cat's eyes widened slightly at his taunt, Bill looked between her and Eric. "You know her?"
"I know Caterina," replied Eric. "At least, the human she used to be."
"What the fuck is going on, Eric. Are you in league with her?" demanded Bill.
Eric wished fervently that he was in league with Caterina, but he was just as much in the dark as Bill was.
"You can't trust anyone these days," said Cat, with a smile.
"You bastard," hissed Bill. "You would do anything to save your own precious hide, wouldn't you?"
"Back to the subject of Nan Flanagan and your pet, Bill," said Cat. She moved in a flash and grabbed Alcide and pulled him to his knees by the hair. "Even werewolves are susceptible to glamour if you weaken them enough. Allow me to demonstrate."
Cat grabbed Alcide's chin and forced him to look into her eyes. Alcide trembled, but was unable to look away. "Are you intimately acquainted with Sookie Stackhouse, werewolf?"
"Yes," answered Alcide without any inflection.
"Tell me, werewolf, what she is."
"She's a…a fairy," Alcide whispered.
"Good dog," said Cat, letting go of Alcide. "Get him out of here. I can't stand the scent of wet dog any longer."
"I'll kill you before I let you touch her," hissed Bill.
"You kill me?" chuckled Cat. "Do you have any idea of who I am?"
Bill looked at her in confusion and Cat added, "Help him out, Eric."
"I would lay off the threats, Bill," said Eric. "You are talking to none other than the Venetian."
"I've been killing for over five hundred years," said Cat. "Do you really think that I'm intimidated by a 170 year old civil war soldier?"
Before anyone could say anything else, Bill disappeared in a blur of vampire speed. Eric watched as none of Cat's guards tried to stop him. Unfortunately that left him alone before the Borgia clan. He recognized Cesare and deduced that Catherine Vincent was none other than Lucrezia. Something was terribly wrong. Somehow the Borgias had pulled off the coup of the millenia. No one, including him, had known that they were even vampires.
"Now, we just have you to deal with, Viking," said Cat.
Eric was silvered and he fell to his knees with a groan. "Throw him in the dungeon. We have catching up to do."
The dungeon was shrouded in darkness, but his vampire eyes could still see. He was all alone in a cement prison, since Alcide had been placed somewhere else. He had also been striped down to his underwear and silvered to a harness that hung from the ceiling. His arms were chained overhead and his feet were shackled to a set of loops embedded in the floor. He had a minute range of motion and every movement only inflamed the silvered flesh that was an open and raw wound. An irritating drip was the only noise and he was close to being driven mad by it. He was a vampire of action and having his freedom so cruelly curtailed was a harsh punishment. However, he was sure that Cat had more in store for him. While he had recognized her during his observations, he had not figured out a way to save himself from whatever she was up to. Which is why he had wound up chained in this basement.
The overhead light flickered on and the door at the top of the stairs opened and stopped his thoughts. Before he could see them, his vampire ears detected one female vampire and one human male coming down the steps. They came into view and Eric saw Cat and a male dressed as a typical fangbanger in black leather. The human carried a black case and followed in her wake. She was dressed in the same clothes as before, but the human helped her out of her jacket and placed the case on a work bench. He flipped it open as Cat moved closer to him.
"Silver looks good on you, Eric," she said.
"It would even better on you, pet," he replied.
"Oh, I'm not your pet, anymore," she said.
"I thought that you were dead."
"That was the idea," said Cat. "Did you mourn me?"
"I did," said Eric. "I searched for you, even glamoured your bereaved mother and visited your grave. I should dug it up to make sure that you were in it."
"Fooled you," smirked Cat. "Now, I hope that you aren't expecting some leniency from me just because you popped my cherry."
Eric locked eyes with her and leered. "I remember your first time well, pet. It was one of my finer moments. You were hiding in a nunnery of all places from me, but I tracked you down. You see I had your blood and you know now how easy it was for me to find you. I wore the robes of priest to get inside to you. I remember that pious little cot that I took on. And every other surface in your room that we fucked on. Good times, my sweet little pet."
"You perverted bastard," Cat hissed, losing some of her precious control.
Eric smiled. "Are you trying to say that you didn't enjoy it?"
"You glamoured me," retorted Cat.
"I glamoured away the pain as a considerate lover," replied Eric. "The rest was all you."
"I remember it a little different," said Cat. "It was just a little demonstration of your power over me. You took my blood, my virginity and you tried to take my soul as well."
"I wanted you in every way that a vampire wants a human," said Eric. "Can you truly blame me for that?"
Cat made an effort to compose herself and held out her hand. The human placed a cat of nine tails in her palm. But, Eric noticed that it had been modified. The tails were adorned by silver beads and she swirled it with a flourish causing the silver beads to tinkle when they crashed against each other.
"My own personal creation," she said. "I never forgot your lessons of pain and pleasure. I thought that I would show you how I have mastered that subject. Now, this human has his own modification."
At a tap from Cat, the human opened his mouth and displaced a tongue piercing. Eric noted uneasily that the stud was silver. The human knelt before him and began to tug down his underwear.
"Stop," demanded Eric, twisting away as far as his restraints would allow.
"I have all the power now, Eric," said Cat. "And we stop when I say so."
"Ooh, nice one," murmured the human, eyeing Eric's cock.
"I've seen it before," replied Cat. "Begin."
At her command, the human moved in and began to stroke and lick Eric who tried to move away from him. He groaned and rattled his silver chains, causing his flesh to be more injured.
"I'll make you pay for this," hissed Eric, closing his eyes and crying out when the human took him in his mouth and the silver stud ran along the length of his cock.
"You aren't really in a position to threaten me," replied Cat. "Besides, I'm sure that he's not the first guy to go down on you."
Cat moved to Eric's rear and lashed him across the buttocks with the whip. He jerked as his skin formed little raw wounds that healed almost immediately. Again and again, Cat rained down the lash on his backside. The pain was intense and knee wobbling, but it only lasted a second and then he healed. It was nothing compared to the agony of having a silver stud slide up and down the length of his erect cock which didn't have the good sense to not be aroused because he was also being sucked off. Cat had only added insult to injury by having a male do it. Of course, she wasn't wrong in her assessment of his sexual history. After all, vampires engaged in all sorts of sexual acts. But, his preference was women which she was well aware of. Vindictive wench.
After an agonizing moment of having that silver stud swirl over the sensitive head of his dick which was accompanied by a savage lash on his backside, Eric rattled and pulled on the chains, furiously trying to free himself to no avail.
"Fuck, how long are you going to torture me like this!"
"Until I decide to stop."
"Fucking brat," hissed Eric. "Know that I'm imagining you on your knees before me with your lips wrapped around my cock."
"Whatever gets you off, Cupcake," replied Cat, delivering another savage blow with the whip.
On and on it went, until Eric hung limply from his wrists because his legs had turned to jello. Every millimeter of his dick has been assaulted by that silver stud and his flesh was highly sensitized until the merest touch of it caused him excruciating pain. His eyes were closed as he was unable to watch the assault on his favored member and he had bitten his tongue to keep the screams from escaping. Finally, after a voracious suction, his cock jerked as he spewed his seed into the male's mouth. At last, he was released and he hung his head in relief. He felt his underwear being tugged back in place and the male gave him a parting kiss over this now flaccid and unblemished member. The sounds of their leaving filled his ears.
"Leaving so soon?" called out Eric.
"I got what I came for," replied Cat.
"If you were to take his place, I could get it up again, pet."
"I'll pass," said Cat.
"I'm not done yet," said Eric.
Cat gave him a measuring stare. "The only hope you have is that ruthless and cunning nature. Use that brain of yours if you want to stay alive."
"You sound as if you almost care."
"Don't count on it."