Chapter Thirty: Disturbia
"You didn't have to stay with me here last night." I sat with Quinn in the kitchen the next morning, pushing around the breakfast Quinn had so graciously cooked for me. But I had no appetite. Not after last night. All I could think about was Eric. I wasn't even concerned over Victor, not yet that is. I knew I would have to go to Fangtasia tonight to meet with him, and that should have scared the hell out of me. And in one way, it did. But after what happened with Eric last night, all of my thoughts were centered on him. How could they not be when he proclaimed his love for me?
"Yes I did." He offered me a warm smile. "After what happened, I wasn't about to let you stay here alone."
"I just couldn't go back there." I sighed, speaking about Eric's home. I wasn't sure if Eric would return there, or go back to wherever he had been staying all along. But it was facing Godric that I was concerned about. Because I knew if I saw his face, all I would want to do was hit him. And continue doing so until one of my hits hurt him. He had lied to me. He had lied to me so many times. He knew Eric had stayed. He knew all along where he was. He had talked to me like Eric had gone off, like he may never come back, and he knew that had all been a lie. He could have told me the truth, about everything. But he didn't. And I wasn't so sure I could forgive him for that, not very easily anyways.
"I understand." He reached over the table and grasped my hand, squeezing it gently. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Fed up." I admitted. "I'm tired of everyone lying to me. Eric, Godric, it's just all too much."
"Who are you more angry with?" he wondered.
"I honestly don't know." I pushed the plate away as I slumped in my chair. "Eric hurt me in so many ways; he caused me so much pain. But I also always wished that he would come back. Maybe I never said it out loud, but a small part of me always wished that. And now he's here, and yes, he lied to me, but he's also admitted that he's wrong and he just never does that unless he means it."
"Do you think you'll forgive him?"
"I don't know. Maybe? Maybe not? I guess I'm just not sure if he really will stick to his word. He said he loved me, Quinn. But he also said that before he left. I just don't know if I can believe what he says anymore."
"He can't expect you to, not right away." Quinn pointed out. "What about Godric?"
"I think I'm more pissed off at him. I mean, Eric hurt me, and even now, part of me just wants to curl up and cry. But when I think about what Godric did, how he lied to me over so many things, it just makes me want to find him and kick his ass." I shook my head, running a hand through my hair. "I can't believe he lied to me, Quinn. He lied to me about everything."
"I don't condone what he did, but maybe he was just trying to protect you." Quinn offered hesitantly.
"How? Knowing that Kyra could be resurrected, that doesn't hurt me in any way. I'm happy if it is actually possible. It means that they can finally be together again, and that's all I've wanted for both of them. There was no reason for him to lie to me about that."
"Unless there's more to it then you know." Quinn thought out loud. "Maybe it could hurt you, just in a physical sense, and that was what he was worried about. Because he knows that you would do anything to make him happy, even if it meant putting yourself in danger to ensure that happened. Maybe he just wanted to keep it to himself until he knew everything he needed to before telling you."
"You're defending him?" I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"I'm just trying to see his side of things, for us both to." he squeezed my hand again.
"Okay, say that your right. Maybe resurrecting Kyra could be dangerous for me in some way. Okay, I get that. But why did he lie about Eric? He could have told me. He knew how destroyed I was. We've talked about this lately. He looked me in the eye as we wondered if Eric would ever come back. He could have told me at any point in time. But he didn't."
"Alright, you have a point there." Quinn nodded in agreement. "But maybe Eric asked him not to say anything."
"And?"
"And Eric is his progeny. And as much as Godric will always love you, He'll always love Eric probably just a little bit more."
"That's stupid." I grumbled, though I knew it was the truth. Godric would always love Eric more, and I was perfectly alright with that. Because those two had a bond that no one could ever take from them. I was never threatened before, and I didn't feel threatened now. "He still should have said something. He knew how damaged I was."
"I understand that, and I am on your side on this one."
"I just..." I sighed as tears began forming in my eyes. I tried to rub them away, not wanting to break down in front of Quinn again. I had already fallen asleep crying in his arms last night. I didn't want to put Quinn in this uncomfortable situation again. "I just wish none of this happened."
"I know, babe." Quinn stood and pulled me up to my feet so he could wrap his large arms around me, tugging me against his warm chest. "I wish I could just erase everything that happened last night. That was a bit too much for all of us to handle."
"And now tonight I have to go to Fangtasia." I pulled a face, holding onto Quinn for dear life.
"You could always not go." He suggested.
"And then what would Victor do?"
"You're not a vampire. He doesn't have any control over you." Quinn pointed out.
"Except he does, Quinn. I may not be able to die, but you all can. He could easily threaten to kill each and every one of you until I do his bidding. There's no way around that."
"We could always kill him."
"Believe me when I say I'm already formulating a plan to do that."
"Hey, I thought you would be here." Sookie popped her head into my room later that evening, the sun just about to dip below the horizon. I was nervously sitting on my bed, staring at the outfit I had laid out to wear to Fangtasia tonight. I was nervous. I had worried over what Eric had said last night the entire day, but the moment the sun began to set, my concerns shifted over to the new regime.
"How did you know?" I gazed up at her, hoping my nerves didn't show.
She shot me a knowing look however, as she pushed the dress I had set out to the side and sat before me on the bed. "I figured you wouldn't want to go back to Eric's house. Whether he was there or not, you seemed pretty angry with Godric last night."
"He lied to me, Sookie." I bit down hard on my bottom lip to keep from crying out. "And not just about being able to resurrect Kyra. He knew where Eric was this entire time."
"Really?" her eyes widened. "He knew?"
"Eric never left. He was here the entire time. I don't know where exactly, but he never left." I couldn't stop the single tear from escaping.
"Oh my god." Sookie shook her in disbelief as she wiped the tear away for me. "I can't believe that. He never left, not at all?"
I shook my head. "And Godric knew about it. He knew about it and just never told me."
"Wow." Sookie looked just as surprised as I had felt last night. "That's...that's a lot to take in."
"Oh that's not even the half of it." I recalled everything that had happened after she had left last night. By the time I was finished, her mouth was hanging open, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"He really said all that?" She didn't sound like she even believed it.
"He really did." I nodded.
"What do you make of it? Do you think he was telling the truth? Do you think he'll stick around?" Sookie wondered.
"I have no idea." I ran a hand through my still damp hair from when I had a shower not too long ago. "I thought about it all day, and I just couldn't figure it all out. I don't know what I'm going to do Sook."
"Well, you have time." She assured me, pulling me in for an embrace. "Eric can't expect you to forgive him right away, not after what he's done to you. And it sounds like he realizes that. You have all the time in the world, literally, to figure out what you want. I know you still love him, and I have a feeling what you'll eventually end up doing, but you need to figure that out for yourself, and you need to get yourself to a point where you can forgive him and move forward with your life. Whether that means with him or not."
"But what if we don't have all the time in the world?" I pulled away and began fidgeting with my hands. "With this whole Victor thing..."
"Don't think like that." Sookie scolded. "We're all going to be fine. I know this is a shitty situation. And I know we're all pretty much screwed. But I agree with you, Ellie, we can't just let Victor stomp all over us and expect us to fall at his feet."
"Godric doesn't see it that way." I sighed.
"Well then Godric can go fuck himself." A small smile appeared on her lips. "If worse comes to worse, we'll double team Victor and his vampires. We're a pretty good team together, you know."
"Girl power?" I offered a small laugh.
"Exactly." She grinned. "I know it seems impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I'm the first one to admit that this is not the situation we all planned to be in. But this is what's happening, and we just need to come up with a new plan. It's going to be tough, and hell, it may not work out either. But this is my home, and it's turned out to be your home too. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to let this asshole waltz in here and ruin everything I've worked so hard for."
"How can you be so optimistic?" I wondered, shaking my head in disbelief at the positive attitude Sookie had after everything that happened last night.
"Because I didn't have the love of my life return out of nowhere and profess his love to me while my best friend lied to my face." she made light out of the crappy situation. "And because that's all we have right now. We can't be negative right now. We can't think that there's no hope. Because there's always hope, sometimes it's just a little bit harder to find. But it's always there."
"Thanks." I hugged her tightly. "Really Sook, I don't know where I would be right now if it weren't for you."
"Right back at ya." She squeezed me in return. "Bill probably would have ended up killing me."
"Godric would have saved you."
"But it might have been too late." She pointed out. "We have each other's backs, you and I. And that won't change any time soon."
"So then what do I do tonight?" I asked for, looking for the advice I so desperately needed. "What do I do when I go there?"
"You look downright gorgeous, you storm in there, give Victor a piece of your mind, and if nothing else, set the bastard on fire."
"I don't think it'll be that simple."
"Probably not, but you have to admit, it would be satisfying." She nudged me with a wink.
"Oh you have no idea."
"You're not going in there alone." Quinn shook his head.
"You're a shifter; I honestly don't think anyone will want you there." I sighed, patting my hair down as I tried to assure Quinn I would be fine. Victor wouldn't kill me. He needed me for whatever reason. And even if he did kill me, well I would be back alive in only a few seconds, so it wouldn't really matter. It would only cause more problems, and possibly put Quinn's life in danger, if he went with me tonight.
Even though part of me desperately wanted him to.
"You could get yourself..."
"You know that isn't true." I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine."
"I don't like this one bit." He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he followed me into the front hallway. Sookie had already left to return to Merlotte's to spend the night with Sam, though she made me promise to call her immediately after my meeting with Victor, to ensure her I was perfectly alright.
"Sorry, Quinn, but you're going to have to deal with it." I slipped into my heels. "You can drive me there, but that's it. You can even sit in the parking lot and wait, I don't care. But you can't go in there, not unless you have a death wish."
"I could..."
"Quinn, I appreciate the fact that you care enough about me to put yourself in that position, but I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you." I turned towards him, offering him an assuring smile. "I promise you I won't do anything stupid. I promise you that I'll be safe."
"What if..."
"Even if something were to happen, I can't die, so there's really nothing to worry about." I wrapped my arms around the tall man for a moment before pulling away.
"Fine. But I swear to god, if anything happens..."
"You can yell at me later for it. You can even shift and scare the hell out of me by roaring." I tried to lighten the mood.
"Not funny, Ellie."
"Sorry." I patted his arm. "Now, can we go already? I just want to get this over and done with."
"Fine." He grumbled, grabbing his jacket and slipping it on as I tugged on my own leather jacket I had pulled out for tonight, contrasting perfectly with the deep royal blue dress I had pulled on. I didn't need to dress up for this meeting. But I wasn't going to give Victor the satisfaction of looking like some slob or commoner. I was the Phoenix; I was at the top of the food chain as Quinn always seemed to put it. If Victor thought I was some royal goddess that he wanted to keep as a pet, well hell, I was going to damn well look the part. "Let's go."
I slid my arm through his as he opened the door and motioned me out onto the porch. I froze however, the moment that door opened and I spotted a familiar blonde leaning against the porch railing, as if he was just waiting for me. And he probably was. He was just standing there, wearing his usual black attire while his eyes roamed over my body. I couldn't help but blush, Eric always eliciting this response out of me. I was waiting for that smirk of his to appear, and I was surprised when he only strode forward, a frown on his face.
"Shifter." Eric barely gave him a second chance. "You can run along now."
"I don't think so." Quinn tensed beside me.
"You're no longer needed." Eric shot him a dark look.
"Maybe you're the one no longer needed." Quinn shot back, not about to leave me in Eric's presence alone. And I appreciated how caring he was, wanting to look out for me like he always seemed to do. But I wasn't afraid of Eric, he could never hurt me. Physically that is, he hurt me time and time again emotionally.
"It's fine, Quinn." I squeezed his arm. "Go wait in the truck for me."
"There's no need for that either. I'll be taking you to Fangtasia tonight."
"Quinn was going to take me."
"And Victor ordered me to come for you myself." Eric gritted his teeth, hating the fact that he now had to take orders from Victor.
I sighed and glanced up at Quinn. He didn't look like he was going to leave at any point, not unless I just about forced him too. And to be honest, I didn't want him to leave. I felt safe with Quinn. He had been there for me when Eric wasn't, and I wouldn't forget that anytime soon. But I also knew that if Victor ordered something, then we couldn't just disobey him, not like I wished we could. Not yet anyways, not until I could formulate a plan to get rid of him.
"Wait for me here?" I asked Quinn hopefully. "It shouldn't take too long."
Quinn looked down at me in disbelief. "Babe..."
"There's no point in fighting." I offered him a smile. "But I would really like it if you were here when I got back. So I can vent and not end up destroying the house wishing it was his face."
Quinn couldn't help but chuckle as he nodded in agreement. He leaned down, kissing my cheek softly, and I was sure that was more to piss Eric off than anything else. And it worked. Eric looked livid. He looked like he was going to take all of his frustrations out on Quinn, ripping him to shreds. And if I hadn't stepped forward, pushing Eric back as best as I could so Quinn could step into the house, I'm sure he would have. The moment the front door closed, I shook my head and let my hands fall back down to my sides. Or at least I tried to before Eric caught my wrists, holding my hands in place. His eyes were closed as a look of peacefulness swept across his face. I almost felt myself forget all the horrible things he's done as he looked like that, as he looked like the man I had fallen in love with.
"You smell just as I remembered." The smallest smile crossed his lips as his eyes opened to peer down at me.
I didn't say anything as I just stared into those orbs, finding myself speechless again. I hated myself for turning into a lovesick teenager when I was around Eric. But I couldn't help myself. How could I when this gorgeous vampire had returned and was staring down at me not like a piece of meat, but like the woman he loved. And that caused my heart to skip a beat.
"And you look far too beautiful tonight." the smile twisted into a frown. "You should not walk into a vampire bar looking like that, Ellie."
"It's your bar."
"Not at the moment." He sighed, dropping my hands and slipped his into his pockets. "At the moment, that asshole owns everything."
I had to bite on my tongue to try and keep myself from reminding him that maybe none of this would have happened if he kept his distance. I didn't want to get into this right now, not tonight. And I certainly didn't know if that was even true or not. This could have happened even if Eric had stayed, even if we were perfectly happy and in love. I had a feeling this had been in the works for longer than any of us could have imagined.
"You don't need to do this."
"Yes I do." I brushed some of the hair out of my eyes as I stared up at him. "I do have to do this. I don't have much of a choice in the matter."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't. If some people hadn't of pledged their loyalty to whoever this King is, then maybe I would have had a choice." I found myself blurting out before I could stop myself.
I was expecting Eric to snap, to lash out, like he always did when someone said something that he didn't like. But he didn't. He just kept staring down at me with that look on his face, not uttering a single word. Maybe he had changed. Maybe he really had realized that what he had done was wrong and was willing to do whatever it took to fix our relationship.
"We should go..." I shifted uncomfortably. "Victor is probably waiting for us."
"Just a moment longer." He raised a hand to my cheek, his cool hand cupping it as his thumb brushed across the soft skin in a comforting manner. "I just want another minute with you alone."
I didn't deny him that moment, because selfishly that's exactly what I wanted to. So we stood there, Eric caressing my cheek as a soft moan escaped my lips. This is what I had missed. These little moments where Eric wasn't saying the wrong thing, where he wasn't acting like a complete bastard, this was what I had missed about Eric. Because while he could be a complete asshole, he was capable of acting sweet and caring when he wanted to be. It was a rare occurrence, but I had seen a side of him that not many had ever seen, maybe not even Godric.
"I missed you, lover." His body grew closer to mine, and it took all of my self control to not jump him right then and there.
"We need to go." I had to break the moment, taking a step back so Eric's hand fell back down to his side. While I wanted to stay there on that porch with him all night and just figure everything out, or maybe just be silent and enjoy each other's company, I knew that we couldn't. And if we didn't leave soon, then I was never going to get enough courage to do this.
"Right." He frowned, realizing just what was in store for us tonight. "It will be dangerous, Ellie."
"I know that." I nodded, pulling my hair over one shoulder. "I'm prepared for that."
"Just be careful." He leaned forward so his lips were brushing across my earlobe. "I want to kill him as much as you do, my love, but we need to be careful tonight."
"I know Eric." His name almost sounded foreign to say. "We both have to check our anger at the door tonight."
And there was that smirk. I almost toppled right over, my knees threatening to shake uncontrollably as he straightened and smirked down at me. I wasn't sure what it was about that smirk of his that caused me to want to fall head over heels for him, but it did.
"Shall we?" He held out a hand for me to take.
I stared at that hand, feeling as if it meant more than it was supposed to. It felt as if the moment I slipped my hand into his, that I was giving him hope that we had a future, that we could move forward. It felt as if taking his hand meant that I was willing to try this again, and I wasn't so sure I could. Right now that is. I needed more time to think. I needed to think things through.
So instead, I just nodded and walked around him and off of the porch. I could feel his eyes on me as I began towards the red corvette that was sitting in the driveway behind Quinn's truck. I was expecting Eric to say something, but once again he surprised me by just silently following until we both reached the car. He flashed over to the passenger side and held the door open for me.
"I do love you, Ellie. You may not be willing to believe that I'm here for the right reasons, but I am. And I will prove to you in whatever way that I can that I'm here for you, that I'm not leaving."
I stared up at him for a moment, wanting to say something but just nothing came out. I nodded and slid into the car, Eric just closing the door behind me. I sighed and leaned my head back against the seat, praying that the answers would just come to me.
And that tonight wouldn't go as horrible as I was expecting it to.
"Finally!" Pam was at Eric's side the moment we had arrived outside of Fangtasia. A frown was settled on her face, a hint of worry in her usually cold and detached orbs. "What was taking so long?"
"Not being entertained by Compton, Pam?" Eric tried to flash his progeny a smirk, only his lips curved downward into a frown.
"He's on your throne." Pam planted her hands on her hips. "He's barking orders like he's in charge of us all."
"He is." Eric reminded her bitterly. "He and Victor now hold control over us."
"Can't we go to Flanagan and get something done." Pam argued.
"As long as the human public isn't affected, as long as this new regime follows the AVL protocols, then there is nothing they will do." Eric sighed. "I've already spoken with a representative. We're on our own."
"This is fucking retarded." Pam cursed, her eyes narrowing into slits before her gaze fell on me. Her eyes swept over me, but not even Pam was herself tonight. "Can't you do something?"
"Pam." Eric sent her a look of worry.
"She's the Phoenix, can't she do anything?"
"Believe me, Pam, I'm working on it." I assured her with a look of determination on my face.
"Good." Was all Pam said before leading the way to the front doors, two men dressed in black with large guns standing on either side. "He's brought his own men."
"Of course he has." Eric shook his head as we stopped before the closed door, the men stepping forward and stopping us. "This is my bar, let me enter."
"Everyone has been asked to be searched before entering." One of the vampires was looking crudely at Pam, who only flashed him her fangs and hissed in response. The vampire grinned however, his own fangs showing. The other vampire was staring at me though, and I didn't have all that much to try and intimidate him with.
"This is ridiculous. Who ordered this?" Eric demanded to know.
"The Sheriff."
I could see the anger growing on his face, and I slipped my hand into his to try and calm him down. We didn't need to start a fight. That's exactly what Bill and Victor wanted. Because if Eric or anyone else stepped a foot out of line, they could rightfully punish them, and we couldn't let that happen. Eric needed to keep his cool for now, at least until we could figure out what to do.
"Do not touch her." Eric hissed as one of the vampires stepped towards me.
"It's fine. If he touches me inappropriately I'll just set him on fire." I sent the vampire a pointed look, making sure they knew I was perfectly serious. He froze for a moment before continuing forward and I knew I had done the trick. I may not look all that dangerous, but I knew I could kill any of these vampires in mere seconds if I wanted to.
Eric looked like he wanted to murder the vampire as he searched me, his hand wandering a bit too high on my leg and I chose that moment to kick him in the leg in annoyance.
"What did I say?" I glared at the vampire as I pulled away from him. "I don't have ay weapons on me. I'm my own weapon."
The vampire looked like he wanted to attack me, but Pam surprisingly took a step in front of me.
"Just let us through, or would your precious Sheriff like to know that you've made Victor wait for his guests?" Pam levelled them with her stare, and that was enough to cause the vampires to step to the side and let us pass.
Eric looked proud of his progeny as he laid a hand on my back and led us all into the bar that had once been his to roam freely in and out of. But everything had changed last night, absolutely everything.
"Everyone looks petrified." I whispered to him and Pam as we stood by the door, glancing over everything. There were hardly any humans around, and as I thought about it, there hadn't been a long line of humans outside. In fact, there had been none at all. Either word had gotten out about the attack last night, or the obvious fear of vampires with guns at the front door was just too much for humans. "Well there goes your business..."
Eric shot me a glare, though I knew his anger wasn't directed at me. He was pissed off that his bar, his once thriving bar, was now hurting because of this new regime. I was certain he had other business ventures that I just had no clue of, but Fangtasia had to be the main source of his profit. And if Fangtasia suffered, I wasn't so sure how well Eric would take that. All we could hope for is that we could come up with a plan to take care of both Victor and Bill.
Because god knows that psychotic vampire needed to finally die.
"Come on." Eric curled his hand around my elbow and guided us through the very small crowd of vampires and very dedicated fangbangers to the stage he usually sat on. That throne of his, which I had thought looked ridiculous in the first place, just looked so out of place with Bill sitting in it, looking like he owned the place. And in his mind, he did. And that just pissed me off. I wanted to slap that smug look right off of his face, right along with that white smile of Victor's.
Seriously, when could we just kill them?
"Ah, Mr. Northman, Miss. Cole, you've finally arrived!" Victor clapped his hands as he stood in greeting. He nodded at Eric as we stepped up onto the stage, though he took it a one step further as he took my hand and kissed the top of it like a gentleman would have done.
Except Victor Madden was certainly no gentleman.
"You're looking exquisite tonight, Phoenix." Victor's smile widened as I tried to hide my look of disgust and tugged my hand back. Eric hand tightened on my elbow, but I didn't bother to shake him off. I felt a bit more comfortable being able to feel Eric beside me, to know that at any time, he would throw himself in front of me. I shouldn't have felt an ounce of fear, as I was more immortal than any one of these vampires. But I was just felt so uncertain with Bill and Victor. They were both psychotic, in their own ways. After last night, I certainly didn't want to cross Victor, not blatantly. If we were going to find a way to kill him, it would have to be sneaky and well thought out.
"Eric." That smug look on Bill's face grew as he stared up at the Viking. "Not even a bow? You demanded more respect than that when you were Sheriff, did you not?"
Eric looked ready to just snap.
"Excuse him if he doesn't feel like bowing to the asshole who he wanted to kill." I spoke coldly to Bill. He wasn't my Sheriff; I could speak however I pleased. Eric however, he had to hold his tongue for now. He couldn't step out of line because that's what they wanted. But I could say or do whatever the hell I wanted to. And that's exactly what I was going to do.
"She's a firecracker, isn't she?" Victor took my attitude all in stride.
"Let's just get to the point, shall we?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Why did you ask me here, Victor? I'd rather not have to stay here any longer then I have to, I'm sure you understand."
"Of course." He nodded, his smile not once leaving his face. "Allow us to speak in private."
"No." Eric quickly refused, shaking his head and taking a step forward, putting himself in front of me entirely. "I will not leave her side."
"You are a worrier, aren't you?" Victor chuckled. "Has he always been like this, Sheriff?"
"Not at all." Bill sent Eric a level stare. "And he should learn some respect."
"Yes yes, well we can't ask for miracles." Victor waved his hand in the air. "Now, Phoenix, shall we?"
"No." Eric narrowed his eyes. "No."
"It's fine, Eric." Open mouth and insert foot. I don't know why I had said that, but I knew Eric wouldn't have settled down unless I assured him that I would be fine. I had no idea if I would be, but I had to have faith in my abilities. "It's not like he could kill me."
Victor raised an eyebrow, though his smile hadn't faltered at all. I tugged on Eric's arm, squeezing it to try and reassure him. He looked down at me, that look of worry in his blue orbs. I offered him a small smile, squeezing his arm again.
"I'll be fine, Eric." I whispered to him, and only then did he slowly nod and take a step back. I turned towards Victor and motioned for him to take the lead. "After you."
"Ladies first." He insisted, causing me to roll my eyes and agree.
I stepped down off of the stage, two men dressed exactly like the ones outside, came to my side. I raised an eyebrow at the security detail as Victor joined us below the stage and led the way to the door beside the bar. As we entered the back hallway, I was expecting Victor to guide us to Eric's office to talk over whatever he had called me here for, but I was surprised when he directed us in the opposite direction, only pulling to a stop outside of the basement. My face paled as I halted a few feet away, back peddling quickly. As I stepped backward, however, I was met with the very hard chest of one of the vampires. I cursed to myself as their hand came crashing down onto my shoulder, squeezing it tightly as I was just about shoved forward.
"Now now, Phoenix, You know it's not my intention to harm you. We just have business in here that we must attend to." there was that smile again.
I was still unsure, but I didn't have much of a choice as I was led down the basement stairs, the heavy door shutting closed tightly behind us. I gulped as we descended into the dark basement. I couldn't see a thing at first, my eyes adjusting to the one single light on the opposite side of the room. I squinted, and gasped loudly when I found a form chained and on their knees in the middle of the basement.
"Chow?" I whispered, his head rising, his blank stare meeting my gaze. "What the hell is this Victor?"
"Why, it's the reason I brought you down here." He crossed the room until he stood directly in front of Chow. "Rise vampire."
Chow didn't rise however, and I saw the defiance in his dark orbs. Chow hardly ever spoke, and I was pretty certain he wasn't entirely fond of me and having to do Eric's dirty work. But if anything, Chow was loyal. He had pledged his loyalty to Eric years ago and not once had he betrayed him. Just because he was no longer Sheriff, no longer the ruling in Louisiana, Chow was still fiercely loyal, and I found that I respected that.
"Will you just look at the lack of respect vampires have now." Victor shook his head. "It's disgusting really."
"Maybe he just doesn't want to show his respect for you." I shot at Victor, not afraid to say what was on my mind. He couldn't hurt me, not physically that is. He could do so many other things to hurt me however, and that was why I was here.
"You're fierce, I like that." he stepped towards me. "I like that a lot.
I flinched when he twirled a strand of my hair around his finger before gently tucking it behind my ear. His fingers then began trailing down my cheek, caressing my jaw. Goose bumps rose on my arms as a chill ran up my spine.
"Are you afraid of me, Phoenix?" he questioned, taking another step forward.
"No." I wasn't sure if that was the truth or not, but even if I was afraid of him, I wouldn't tell him that to his face.
"Maybe you should be." He drew even closer, his fangs extending with a single click that rang inside of the basement.
I didn't jump, I didn't flinch, I just stood there, my arms crossed, waiting for what he would do next. I did tense however, as he brushed the hair off one of my shoulders and dipped his head down, his fangs grazing across my pulsing vein.
"You smell very tempting." He mused, he tongue flicking out to run up the length of my neck and down again. "Very tempting indeed."
"I'm Eric's." I reminded him, though my voice wavered slightly as I spoke.
"I'm his authority now. I can simply take you as my own." he lifted his gaze to meet mine. "Would you like that? I can teach you things..."
"I'm Eric's." I repeated.
"Ah yes, you've said that already." He rolled his eyes before taking a step away from me. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"
"We shall." I gritted my teeth. "Why are we down here?"
"I want to see a display of your powers." He explained, stepping back towards Chow.
"And what exactly do you want me to do?" I frowned, not liking where this was going.
"I want you to kill him." Victor walked around Chow, gazing him up and down before catching my shocked gaze and smirking. "I want you to burn him alive."
"W-what?" I dropped my strong facade, my arms falling to the side as my mouth dropped open.
"I want you, Phoenix, to use those nifty little powers of yours to kill this vampire right here." He tapped Chow on the shoulder, Chow tensing but not moving a muscle otherwise.
"no." I immediately shook my head. How could he just ask me to kill another being? Just because Chow and I had never been close, it didn't mean I wanted to kill him. He was Eric's underling; he had fought for my life on more than one occasion. Sure, it had been because Eric ordered it, but still. He could have just left Louisiana if he desired. But he didn't. And for that, I couldn't kill him.
"I don't think you understand me, Phoenix." Victor was before me in a flash. "I'm not asking you to kill him. I'm telling you to do it."
My heart was pounding so fast in my chest I thought it was just going to leap right out and into this very basement. "No. I won't do it."
"Come now, Phoenix, things will go much more smoothly if you just cooperate."
"I said no." I growled this time. "If this was all you wanted, then I think I'm going to..."
I tried to turn around, but the two vampires that had followed us down here were behind me, holding me by the shoulders to the spot. I tried to struggle, to shake their grasps off of me, but it was no use.
"I don't want to have to go to extreme measures here, Phoenix. Do as I ask, and all will be well. You don't want me to have to hurt your precious little vampire, do you?"
The blood drained from my face. That had been my concern. I knew that if I disobeyed Victor that he wouldn't go after me, but instead, those that I cared about. I may not be able to die, but they all could very easily. But how could I just kill Chow? I had killed before without hesitation, and even those deaths haunted me. But this was someone I knew. This was someone I fought alongside of. I couldn't just kill him, not just for Victor's amusement.
"Phoenix..." there was an edge to his voice as his lips curved downwards. "I won't ask you again. Use your powers and kill him."
I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't kill Chow. I couldn't.
But I had no problem in choosing another victim.
If he wanted to see a display of my powers, well he was certainly going to.
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, trying my best to relax myself. Almost immediately I felt the warmth in my chest, and it was almost comforting even. Even as confusing as my powers may be, I always knew I could rely on them when I needed it the most. And this was certainly one of those times. Because not even a minute passed before I could smell the distinct smell of smoke and burning flesh. The scream of agony sounded from behind me only a second later as I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of a flame flaring on one of the vampires who was holding me down. Both hands leapt off of me, as if the other vampire was afraid he would catch on fire too. But I only had eyes for the one vampire, and I watched in enjoyment as the flame erupted over his entire form. He tried what he could to stop the flame, to stop the burning. But it was just no use, because moments later, with a sickening sizzling sound, the vampire erupted into nothing but a pile of ash.
"There you go. That's exactly what I can do." I was glaring darkly at Victor, who looked surprised at the sudden turn of events. "Now let Chow go."
"Hm, very interesting." Victor stared at the pile of ash, as if the vampire would just suddenly reappear. But he didn't. He had met the true death, and I only hoped I hadn't sentenced Eric to meet the same fate by doing that. "Well you certainly are powerful, aren't you?"
"Oh you have no idea." My eyes narrowed, my hands curling into fists. "Now free Chow."
A smirk slid across Victor's face as he stepped towards chow. I thought he was going to abide by my wishes and free the vampire. Chow even looked hopeful. But instead, I would never forget what unfolded before me. Victor flashed out of sight for not even a complete second before returning with a stake in hand. My eyes grew wide but not a single word was able to emit from my lips before the sharpened end of the stake was thrust right through the chest of Chow. Blood and vampire guts erupted everywhere, landing on both Victor and I so suddenly. I let out a cry of surprise as I tried to shield myself from the blood, in complete disbelief at what Victor had just done right before my very eyes.
"Oh dear, what a shame." Victor dropped the stake and looked down at the sleeve of his suit jacket. "This suit cost a fortune."
I just stared in horror at the vampire before me, Chow's blood dripping from my face.