A/N: Hey so here is the next chapter. I just wanted to give credit to the reviewer who many months ago suggested that the Amazon vampires could break the bond/marriage between Eric and Sookie (I can't remember the name and I am too lazy to go through the reviews LOL). Also I give credit to AlphaSprout who suggested a pledging between Marius and Sookie since she and Eric were no longer married in vampire's eyes. I never even thought about that so thanks for the suggestion! My other story will be on hold for a bit until I finish this one off. Yeah I am definitely not a multi-tasker. I tried to write another chapter last night for my other story but my mind kept drifting to this one. Right now I am thinking maybe 3 or 4 more chapters of this story remains but who knows.
Eric's POV:
He gasps out unnecessarily after my fist shatters his jaw. Blood spurts out of mouth. He falls back to the floor. He tries to crawl away from me but I stomp my right foot down hard on his shin. He cries out in pain once again.
"Eric," he calls out in a low raspy voice. He lays his head on the floor looking up at me.
"Now tell me what it is you're hiding," I growl.
"You know I cannot," he says. Indeed Marten was right. His maker, Rosamund, had commanded him to remain silent with something that involved Sookie and I. I think of other questions that I could ask him that he may be able to answer.
"How long have you been communicating with my bonded?"
He is silent for a few seconds but speaks, "Since I met her."
"How?"
"Email," he responds.
"How many lies have you told her?"
He doesn't say anything immediately but shakes his head. "Everything that I have ever said to her has been the truth."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I can't tell you but just that I told her the truth about what and who we were," he whispers.
I hated that he put me in the same category as him so I stomp on his stomach hard. He spits out more blood.
"I am nothing like you, you hear?" I seethe.
He smiles and lets out a small laugh. "Keep telling yourself that Eric."
Etienne is still smiling. "I can see why you find her so fascinating. She is unique, one of a kind. Her scent is extraordinary and her body... There are no words to describe. I can still feel her curves and the softness of her luscious skin against mine. I can still taste..."
I don't let him finish his sentence. I rip his head off the rest of his body. His blood sprays all over the entire room as his head disintegrates in my hands. Rage cannot even begin to describe how I feel at this moment. Did Sookie fuck this worthless vampire at some point? I want to kill. I want to kill that fucking ancient vampire and Marten. I want to kill fucking De Castro. I want to kill my so-called bitch wife Rosamund.
I am going into a bloodlust so I try to calm myself down. It is at that moment Rosamund comes into the room. She looks around stunned and starts screaming when she realizes that it's Etienne's blood around the room. She collapses to the floor gathering up the bits of pieces of his flesh and blood while sobbing.
"Etienne, my beloved..." she cries out as she rubs his flesh and blood against herself. Red tears fall from her eyes.
I watch her almost feeling sympathetic. I couldn't imagine losing Pam.
She looks up at me, her face full of anger. "You fucking bastard! You killed my child!"
She gets up and tries to attack me. I let her hit her fists against my chest a few times before holding onto both of her wrists.
"Why? Why did you do it?" she sobs out. She gives up her struggle. I am holding her up by her wrists.
"You really have to ask me that? What was he hiding?" I snarl. I squeeze her wrists and she whimpers out in pain.
She stops crying and starts laughing like a crazed woman. "Everything that I have done has been for you, for us."
"That human woman doesn't deserve you. You deserved so much more than that," she says. "Everything that I have done has been for love. Now I have lost my child because of my love for you. But you know what? In the end, it will be worth it. It is better that Etienne has met his end at your hands. I would not have had it any other way."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I yell.
"Nothing will stand between us Eric, can't you see that?" she says with a crazed look in her eyes.
"What was Etienne doing with Sookie?" I growl.
"He showed her your true nature, what you really were. It was the only way to get rid of her without murdering her. I had many chances to kill her, but I didn't, because I love you. If she died so would you."
I let her go and she falls to the ground at my feet. She tries to wrap her arms around my legs but I push her away.
"You have ruined my life because of your obsession," I state fiercely. I clench my fists, readying myself to strike her hard.
She laughs manically again. "No Eric, you did that all on your own with only a slight amount of help from me. Did I force you to fuck that fairy woman in Bordeaux? Did I force you to marry me? You could have prevented our union but you didn't. You know why? Because you love me, only me. You always have since the moment we met. When will you accept that?"
"You are out of your fucking mind," I growl. "You will tell me everything, do not leave anything out!"
She begins to tell me about the deal she made with De Castro, how she made Etienne befriend Sookie. She also tells me how Sookie found out about that night in Bordeaux. I close my eyes briefly as my temper rises even more. Sookie was alone with him that night.
"Did they have sex?" I ask angrily.
She laughs again. "My dear Etienne was a gentleman. If he did bed your little telepath, he would not have told me." She grabs a piece of his flesh and begins weeping. "Oh Etienne," she whispers as she rubs it against her cheek.
"You will be at the summit tomorrow and you will tell everything that you have told me to the council," I say disgusted at the scene.
I look once more at the sight of her weeping on the bloody floor and leave the room. I go down to the suites where Pam and I are staying. She is sitting on a sofa waiting for me.
She raises an eyebrow when she sees my blood stained clothes. "I take it that Etienne is good as dead now?"
"He has been taken care of. One less problem," I state. I rip my shirt off and pants. I go into the bathroom and take a long shower.
Afterwards I come out and Pam is still sitting on the bed.
"Go. Feed and rest yourself. Because tomorrow night will be a long evening. Tomorrow I will get Sookie back and we will begin our plans."
"As you wish Master," she says bowing her head. She closes the door and I secure myself in the room. I spend the rest of the night working and drinking my last bottle of True Blood. Tomorrow night I will have my Sookie to feed from. We will never be apart again. I go to rest feeling joyous about the next evening.
I rise the next night still in a good mood. I think about last night and how much I enjoyed ripping Etienne's head from his body. It felt so good. But not as good as it will feel when I do the same to Rosamund, Marius and everyone else who has kept me and Sookie apart.
After calming myself, I know that Sookie would not have had sex with that insignificant vampire. She had too much honour and self-worth. She would not lower herself. But even if she did have sex with Etienne, I would forgive her. I had my revenge; he was dead permanently. Soon my revenge will be complete after I have secured Sookie.
I take another long shower just in case the scent of Etienne's blood lingered. I put on one of my tailored suits.
I could feel the sun has set. Immediately, I open the door and head to the conference with Pam.
We reach the new location of the summit and already there are hundreds of vampires and other supes. No doubt most are here only to witness the contest between me and Marius. They all stare at us as we walk through the lobby area. The council had opted to relocate the summit to another location after the appearance of Marius. Marten owned the building and they were clearly worried about their safety.
The doors open to the large conference room. Pam and I walk to our designated seats.
I look around the room. The security is state of the art. There are dozens of armed guards who were vampires, weres, demons, and Britlingens. The Britlingens lingered near the front where the council members' thrones were. They must have been hired as protection for them. I look up near the ceilings and spot hidden snipers throughout the room.
Rosamund has not arrived yet. I look towards the entrance as the room fills up. I watch De Castro walk in with Madden. He stops and smirks at me before heading to his seat. She is not here. I let out a deep growl in my chest. No matter. I will get Sookie back even without her testimony and I will deal with her later for not showing up.
Marius and Marten walk in as most of the vampires have taken their seats. He stares at me before stiffly sitting on his chair across from me. He looks worried. He should be. I was very confident with what the outcome of this contest was going to be.
The other doors open and the council members walk in. We all stand until they take their seats. There is a loud murmur through the room as we settle back down into our seats.
"Silence! Let's begin tonight's proceedings," Castor says. "There are several matters on the agenda tonight. The first concerns the possession of the human telepath Sookie Stackhouse. Several nights ago, we agreed that she would remain with the Scandinavian vampire Marius for the time being. Tonight her fate will be decided."
The crowd erupts in a murmur again.
"Now both Eric Northman and Marius will each have the opportunity to present their cases to the council members. Afterwards there will be a short deliberation and we will make our decision. Once the decision has been made, it will be permanent. Are we understood?" he says looking at both me and Marius.
I look at Castor and nod before returning my gaze at Marius. He doesn't look away and nods his head slightly.
"Very well. We have ruled that Marius will be the first to be allowed to speak without interruption," Castor says.
Marius shifts his gaze to the council and stands up. He walks to the center of the room. "I make my claim for Sookie because these are her wishes. Unfortunately she has no power to make that decision for herself as she is not a vampire. She does not wish to return to Northman ever. Her desire is to remain with me. When I first met her she was alone, in a state of despair and danger. She felt betrayed by Northman which is the reason why she had left him. She had no protection from the vampires who wanted to hurt her. She was also a danger to herself. Her mental anguish about what Northman had done to her was severe. She would not have survived if I had not aided and protected her. I am almost new to the ways of this world as I have shielded myself because of my values. But I know what the significance of a bond is. Especially one between a human and a vampire and I respect that. It is by our laws that the human belongs to the vampire and those who tamper with it should meet their final death. But I ask you to reconsider this. She left him willingly and has not been a part of his retinue for many months. If she is to be returned to Northman I fear for her wellbeing."
He pauses for a moment. "But the main reason, perhaps the only reason, why I wish to claim her is because I love her."
The crowd erupts in a loud confused murmur.
"Silence!" Castor says.
My eyes narrow at Marius. That fucker publicly confessed his 'love' Sookie. I was enraged. I grip the side of my seat and can feel some small pieces of wood falling into my hand.
"I wish to pledge myself to her. I want to marry her by our customs and by human standards," he says.
Again the crowd erupts.
If I could set others on fire like he did, I would have done so at this moment. My inner beast wants nothing more than to rip out this vampire's heart and feast upon it. Pam puts her arm on me to help keep me calm.
"Master..." she whispers.
"Quiet!" Castor once again orders.
"Are you finished?" Antonius asks him.
"Yes your eminence," he responds. He walks back and sits down on his chair.
"King Northman, it is your turn," Antonius says.
I try to soothe my inner beast as much as I could and stand up. I walk to the center of the room as well.
"My goal for this evening is to reclaim my bonded. It is true that she left my protection willingly but she did with the help of others who had no legal right to do so. I want retribution against the individuals who aided her, including Marius, but that is another matter for another night. Tonight my only goal is to have my bonded back into my custody. By vampire law she is legally mine. We are blood bonded. Up until a few months ago we were married by our laws as well. Now our blood bond automatically entitles me to her. I know that you all have knowledge surrounding the mysticism of bonds. Even in the event that you do not rule in my favour she will be compelled to return to me. If she does not, then she will lose her sanity. I know that this council has a great deal of respect for the laws that govern our kind. These laws were created centuries ago. They were made to create order within the territories and for centuries we all have respected and obeyed the laws. To deny me of my bonded is a blatant disregard for those laws. It will trigger a mutiny if the council members do not follow the rules which they have made. I trust that you will make the right decision for our kind. That is all."
I turn around and sit back down.
The council members look to each other.
"We will adjourn for a half hour. When we return, we will reveal our decision," Castor says.
For the next half-hour I sit on my chair waiting for the council to return. I knew what they were going to decide. I watch more security come into the room and surround the thrones of the council members. Tension fills the air as the guards continuously check their weapons.
Not long after, the doors open and we all rise. The council members return to their seats and we take ours.
"We have come to a decision," Antonius says. "King Northman and Marius, please come forward."
We both walk up at the same time.
"After carefully considering your testimonies we have decided that the telepathic human Sookie Stackhouse is to be returned to king Northman immediately," Antonius says with a slightly shaky voice.
The crowd erupts. I am elated and relieved. I look back at Pam who is smiling.
Suddenly dozens of the guards surround the council and us. I look at Marius whose expression has turned deadly. I hear a low growl coming from him and Marten is standing beside him with his fangs down. His eyes begin to turn red.
"Marius, do not try anything foolish," Castor warns. I could see the fear in his eyes. The Britlingens step closer to Marius. I look up and the snipers are all pointing their weapons at him. I see a few of them pointing bows with silver tipped arrows.
I could feel his power growing and ready to erupt. Pam is now beside me ready to attack.
Just as I feel that he is about to explode he stops suddenly and looks at me, then at Marten. They gaze at each other for a brief moment before leaving the room in vampire speed.
Immediately I pursue them in my speed as well. I run outside but they are both gone. I am absolutely bewildered. I take a couple seconds to think about where they have gone.
"Sookie," I whisper. It has to do with her. I briefly run though in my mind about where they could have gone. Deciding where they must have gone to, I take flight, flying at a break-neck speed towards my destination.
Sookie's POV: earlier that same evening
I smile as I stroke Marius's hair while watching him sleep. This was peaceful. He made me feel so peaceful and loved. If only we could stay in this room forever, uninterrupted. Or better yet, return to the sanctuary that we built together in the forest.
But that was now an impossible dream. After we had made love last night he had told me what happened with Eric. He mentioned that the council summoned them tonight and it was about the 'ownership' of me. I was so peeved. I was a free woman living in a free country. Yet these vampires were making decisions about my life. Granted I had dealt with this before, but still, I was so angry. I wouldn't be able to tell them what I wanted because I had no rights within their laws.
He also mentioned that Rosamund approached him after Eric left. She had a way to break the bond between me and Eric. He asked me last night if I felt any inclination to return to Eric. Hesitantly, I told him about the tugging in my heart. He said this was due to the bond. He said that eventually the bond will call to me to return and be with Eric. Since it has only been a few months since I separated from Eric, the urge would not be very strong right now. But it will grow as time moves forward.
I asked him what we should do and if we should take steps to break the bond. He thought about it for a few minutes and simply said that he did not trust her. Everything she was doing was only for her gain and whatever plan she had could hurt me. He didn't want to risk it.
I also asked him what she wanted in return if we took her help and he said that she wanted him to glamour Eric into forgetting me and make him fall in love with her. What a crazy bitch!
But yet I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
I think back to our conversation last night.
"Do you think I should break the bond? I mean since this is the only way to be together?" I asked him.
He rubbed my skin gently. "If you want to be free from Eric and if there is no danger to you, then yes. But this is entirely your decision."
I thought for a moment. "But you said that you didn't trust her motives."
"I don't," he responded. "I know some powerful vampire witches. I met them over seven hundred years ago when I was travelling through South America. They prefer to remain a concealed coven. I stayed with them for about a decade and witnessed some of their great powers. They may have a way of breaking the bond."
I smiled and giggled. "I think I know who you are talking about. Bill, my ex, is with them down there as we speak. Months ago he wrote me a letter about how he met some vampires he encountered in the Amazon rainforest."
He smiled back. "Then they will welcome you into their tribe if he has told them warm things about you, which I have no doubt."
"Can I think about it some more?" I asked.
"Of course you can Sookie," he answered. "If you decide to do this then we will go down there as soon as possible. We will ask them about it and weigh all the risks. If there is even a slight chance that something happens to you then we will not go through with it."
"Okay," I smiled. We made love again before falling asleep at dawn.
He rises a few minutes later from his slumber.
"Hi," I say. I lean down to kiss him.
"How long have you been awake?" he asks.
"Not long. I've just been lying here watching you sleep," I tell him.
He looks at the clock. "I should get ready." Instead he leans forward and plants more kisses on me.
Forty minutes later he is in the shower washing off my scent.
I was worried about tonight. They could decide that I had to return to Eric. Would Marius fight their decision and for me? Yes he would. But I was worried that a confrontation could become deadly. I didn't want anything to happen to either one of them. I sigh loudly frustrated. If only I could go there and speak on my own behalf. I would tell them what I wanted, but in their world I had no rights. Things would be a lot easier if I were a vampire then at least I could have some control.
An hour later I walk with Marius to the elevator.
"Please stay in the apartment tonight," he says. He looks worried and now I am worried.
"Of course," I respond. I give him a reassuring smile.
"I will be back as soon as I can," he says.
I nod my head and we kiss. We kiss like this was the last time. We put so much of our passion into it that I am breathless at the end.
We reluctantly let go of each other and he gets into the elevator; heading to the conference where my fate was being decided by vampires I have never met.
I try to keep my mind off things by going into the entertainment room. I try to watch some shows on tv but there is nothing that peaks my interest. I settle on a book from Marten's bookshelf.
A half hour or so later I have read almost fifty pages.
I begin to notice that it was quiet. It was too quiet. Usually a guard would walk by at least every 15 minutes but so far I haven't seen anyone.
I hear a small noise coming from the hall and slowly I get up to check it out. I look down both ends of the hall but there is no one. I use my telepathy and sense four voids. There were usually four vampire bodyguards on this floor and it must be them. I can't sense the were guards either.
I turn around to go back into the room when suddenly I am confronted by a strange vampire. I don't get a chance to speak or think as he quickly puts a cloth over my mouth and I am out like a light.
I hear noises around me. I slowly stir, my head feeling groggy. I try to open my eyes but there is a blindfold over them. I can't move my arms either. That is when I begin to panic.
I muffle a scream as the blindfold is removed from my eyes. I blink my eyes trying to get used to the light. Rosamund is standing in front of me. She was smiling and looking at me with a glare that was pure evil. I glance around the room. There were five other vampires and two weres. It looked like we were in a plane.
"Welcome," Rosamund says.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask quickly.
"You will see," she responds.
"How did you break into Marten's home?" I ask.
"It was easy. It sure helps when you have a former MI6 agent on your payroll," she says.
Just then another person comes out of the cockpit. I recognize him immediately. It was Ari Durant, the man who helped me escape in Bordeaux.
"Ari has many connections with different government agencies. He has access to all sorts of helpful technology, including satellites. He was able to hack into Marten's mainframe and download the floor plans, security details... you name it to all of his homes and businesses."
"After getting that information it was easy to break in and surprise everyone. They are all dead, including the humans who worked in the building," she laughs.
Silent tears fall from my eyes. "You won't get away with this. Marius will find me."
"Perhaps," she smiles. "But when he does, it will be too late."
She puts her hand on my chin. "I guess I can tell you where we are going. There is a small island near Martinique where I keep a home. This is where my witch is. She is a very old and powerful vampire. She will break the spell you have over Eric and free him. Once he is free of you then I will take pleasure in killing you."
I gulp. Just what I needed, another fucking death threat. "If you do then Eric will hunt you down."
She laughs malevolently. "No he won't. You know why? Because she will create a spell that will make Eric love me and he will forget that you ever existed. He will become my slave only living to serve and please me. As for your precious Marius, he will die as well. She will conjure up a spell that will protect me so that I may destroy him."
She leans in closer and kisses my cheek. "Sit back and enjoy your last few hours because soon you will be dead."
I stare out the window silently praying to Marius to find me.