Chapter Forty:
I let out a long sigh as I wiped the steam from the bathroom mirror late the next day. The sun was close to setting and I knew both Eric and Godric would be rising any minute. Unlike last night, the moment I found myself awake, I had to get up, I had to do something to distract my thoughts. Because if I let myself dwell too much on Marnie, Sookie or even Bill, I would end up working myself up into a panic. So I did everything I could to distract myself. I read what I could of some of the books and resources Godric had gotten his hands on concerning triumvirates and necromancy; I cooked an entire meal, only to find myself not hungry; I even reorganized the closet all my clothes were stuffed into in the spare bedroom, just for something to do. Eventually the mindless tasks took me till early evening when I slipped into the bathroom for a longer than normal shower.
Which was the stupidest thing I could have done.
Because what else was there to do in the shower than think? No matter how scalding hot or freezing cold the water was that was pelting down around me, no matter how many times I shampooed my hair or scrubbed my body, there was just nothing to stop myself from dwelling on all our problems. I thought about Sookie, which only ended up pissing me off to the point that I squeezed the life, and contents, out of the shampoo bottle. I thought about Bill and his threats not only towards me, but towards Eric and Godric as well. Instead of being pissed at the young vampire however, I found myself worried. What would happen if Eric and Godric couldn't do anything about Marnie? What if I just stopped going to the meetings and she got worse? Would Bill blame me? Would he blame Eric and Godric until finally, he killed us all?
And then there was the big problem, the big one; Marnie.
What was she capable of? She had this innocent act about her. She acted as if magic was her religion, her way of life, that she only delved into the good, using energy of nature to path her way. But that was complete bullshit. She wanted power. That was all she sought for. And I just happened to be that source of power for her. She could tap into my necromancy, my essence, until she was satisfied. And so far, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop her. I had tried shielding, and while it somewhat worked, I just wasn't strong enough to stop her completely. The best I could do was to monitor that power she tried to drain me of and make sure she didn't go too far.
And unfortunately, that was the downside of staying far far away from Marnie like we had agreed last night. How could I control Marnie's usage of my necromancy if I wasn't there? If I wasn't trying? Sure, I could try to shield from a distance, but I knew enough about magic to know that touch was necessary for greater power. It was why once the circle all joined hands, there was a buzzing of magic lacing through each and every one of us, circuiting through us before landing on Marnie, the ring leader. Without that touch, without actually being there, I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing.
And that worried me. Because I had seen with my very own eyes that bird come to life. It was dead, completely dead to the world. Animals may not have the same sort of essence as humans or vampires did to me, but I could sense the fact that it had no soul, that it had passed on peacefully without the help of some obscure chanting. But Marnie couldn't leave well enough alone, bringing that innocent life back into the living. It flapped its wings like it had never died to begin with, and that scared the living shit out of me. If she could do that to a bird with my necromancy, then who knows what else she could do with it? Could she bring back humans too? Would she?
"Yes." I muttered to myself with a deep set frown on my lips.
I stared at myself in the mirror, taking in the dark circles under my eyes in disgust. I looked like crap, and I knew last night hadn't helped at all. There had just been too much stress, too much conflict, and far too much magic being used. I would just love to go back to those endless nights of studying, of cursing the mounds of thick, heavy textbooks than to deal with this. Studying for some exam or writing a major essay seemed far easier compared to this.
How the hell had I gotten caught up in all this mess?
"Vampires." I sighed, shaking my head.
It all came down to vampires in the end.
If I had only said no to Sarah that first night of Christmas break and hadn't of gone to Fangtasia, maybe none of this would have happened.
Then again, who was to say I still wouldn't have met Godric at Yale? I probably would have met Eric at some point. I had a feeling fate would have brought the three of us together somehow, even if I could change the past. No, this was all meant to happen. Why? I wasn't so sure. But everyone had a destiny, right? Mine just seemed a bit more screwed up than others.
"Talking to yourself again?"
An ear piercing screech escaped my lips as I jumped a foot into the air, my heart racing so fast I thought it was going to leap right out of my chest. Either that, or I was going to have a heart attack.
"What the hell, Eric." I glared at the vampire standing behind me. The reflection of the blonde smirked as he raised a hand to brush my wet hair over one shoulder. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry lover." His smirk widened as he lowered until his human teeth scrapped across the length of my neck, his tongue flicking out just below my earlobe. I jumped again, but this time Eric wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my back against his front. Only a thing towel separated his naked body from mine, and my body responded accordingly. It didn't matter if we were fighting or if we were in a life or death situation; my body always ached for his. "Someone's feeling a bit..."
"Don't say it." I rolled my eyes, raising a hand to my chest to try and calm my heart. "Eric, we should..."
"Shh." He murmured, nuzzling his nose into my neck, taking a whiff of my scent as a growl sounded from deep within his chest. I could feel the rumble against my back, the sudden charge in our blood. His arm tightened around me, his other hand teasing the top of my towel. I shuddered against him, not able to deny the way he expertly made my body feel. Just a single touch from the vampire and it felt like every inch of my body was exploding with passion.
"Eric..." it was more of a moan than anything. I tried to fight my body's desire, but it was harder than it sounded. How could I possibly fight off a frisky and horny Eric Northman? The correct answer would be to never do so. But the logical side of me knew that I had to. Because we had to talk. "Eric stop we need to..."
"Stop talking." He tugged the towel free from my body, leaving me standing there naked before him. I risked a glance at our reflection in the mirror and I couldn't help but moan at the sight. His hand was cupping my breast, his thumb flicking over my hardening nipple. That alone was enough to threaten sending my eyes rolling into the back of my head.
But no, I had to concentrate. We needed to talk about Marnie, about this plan of Eric's.
"Eric stop." I pushed at his arm around my waist. "We need to talk."
"No we don't." he insisted, nipping at my earlobe.
"Yes we...ah...oh god..." my back arched as his fingers pinched the nipple now, sending shockwaves through my body from head to toe. "We need to...oh...oh Eric...we need to talk."
"Shh, just enjoy." He whispered huskily.
And I would have. Hell, I did for a few minutes. I let the vampire work me up into a state of pure ecstasy. I was ready for him to dip his long, hard erection into me, for us to finally be intimate after far too long. Fuck, forget intimacy. I just wanted raw, passionate sex. He could throw me down onto the floor and take me like some wild animal and I would have been fine with that.
But my damn brain got in the way of all that. Because before I could reach that pulsing orgasm, before Eric could even take me completely, logic came crashing down around me. I groaned, silently muttering curses at my brain for doing this to me. But no matter what Eric did, and damn he did try, my brain was just refusing to let me enjoy any of it. He must have sensed something was wrong as he did stop for a minute, his reflection speaking wonders as I caught his gaze.
"What?" his voice was flat and not amused at the interruption. "What now, Savannah?"
"I need to go to the coven meeting tonight." I blurt out quickly before I could talk myself out of it.
He didn't say anything at first. He just stood there before me, one arm still wrapped around my waist, while the other fell to his side. An eyebrow rose as he searched my face in the mirror, searching for whatever answers to the questions he had. When he didn't find an answer that satisfied him, a frustrated grunt escaped his lips, his arm too falling to his side as he took a step back.
"You want to what?" he crossed his arms across his chest tightly, his lips forming into a thin, aggravated line.
I inhaled sharply before slowly turning around. I snatched up the discarded towel and wrapped it around myself, purely just to do somethingother than look at him as I explained my reasoning.
"I want to go to the meeting tonight." I repeated before correcting myself. "No, I need to."
"And why do you suddenly have this idiotic urge?"
"Just let me explain without freaking out, alright?" I risked a glance up at him, and when I saw that he wasn't about to say another word, I continued. "Marnie might know exactly the right things to say or do to tap into my necromancy no matter where I am, but if I'm there, I can at least control how far she goes. It's what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks."
"Last night..." Eric began before I stopped him.
"Last night I was caught off guard." I shrugged. "I didn't expect to be alone with her, and instead of protecting myself like I should have been, I shielded her from getting to you or Godric."
"Why would you be so..."
"So stupid?" I raised an eyebrow with a shake of my head. "Gee, I wonder why? Could it possibly be because I love both of you? It might have been stupid, and last night could have been avoided, but whatever she was chanting, she was ripping through me, digging for something. And I couldn't risk her hurting you or Godric. By the time I got around to shielding her from me, I just wasn't strong enough."
"So why would you go back? Who's to say you're strong enough this time?"
"Maybe I won't be, but I'm the only one who can control what she does enough to make sure the farthest she does is to bring a stupid bird back to life. Who's to say she wouldn't try something more dangerous while you're off talking with Bill? At least if I'm there..." I reasoned.
"You're only going to end up getting yourself killed." Eric shook his head, already shutting down to the idea. "Not going to happen, Savannah."
"But..."
"I promised I wouldn't let her hurt you, not again. Let me keep my promise, Savannah."
"Like you kept your promise not to break my heart over Sookie." I couldn't help myself from spitting out. The moment the words slipped from my lips, I regretted them. This wasn't the time for this. Maybe after Marnie was dealt with, but not now.
Eric's expression darkened, his muscles tensing as his hands curled into fists at his sides. His fangs were threatening to descend entirely and I knew I was only seconds away from a full blown pissed off vampire.
"I didn't mean to say that." I sighed, taking a step forward. "I just mean that you can't promise that she won't hurt me again. Because she'll just try again tonight. And I can try my hardest to keep it from happening here, but it'll be easier if I'm in the same room with her."
"You've said it yourself that it's worst once you touch her." Eric grit his teeth together.
"But it also helps to have that connection. It'll be easier to control her usage than if I'm stuck here."I tried to make him understand. "It might not be the safest plan, but it's the best one I can think of."
Eric looked like he was going to argue against me, but before he could, Godric interrupted.
"She's right, Eric." Godric stepped into the room only wearing his usual loose linen pants.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Eric shook his head, rolling his eyes as he shot his maker a glare. "You can't be serious, Godric."
"As much as I would like to lock her away to ensure Marnie can't touch her, I know that we can't. And you know that just as well as I do." Godric sent me a brief look before focusing on Eric. "It's the only option we have."
"Or she could just not go, that's also an option." Eric was growing more frustrated by the second. "Am I the only sane one here? This is suicidal!"
"It's the only way." Godric sighed. "It's not ideal, but I believe in her. I believe that she can do what she says. She might not be able to stop Marnie, but if she can control the degree Marnie goes to, then that'll give you time to strategize with Bill on how to get rid of her."
"I know how to get rid of her." Eric growled. "I'll kill the little bitch."
"We talked about this." Godric held up his hand while shaking his head. "We need to run this passed Bill. Because if we don't, it'll fall onto our heads. Bill will make sure of it."
"He'll throw us under the bus whether we get his approval or not." Eric pointed out.
"Perhaps." Godric nodded. "But it's what's going to happen."
"This is idiotic!" Eric roared, looking ready to rip something, or someone, apart. "How could you possibly think this is a good idea? We'll be throwing her to the lions. She won't be able to protect herself."
"I'll be there to make sure nothing goes too far. The moment it gets too much for Savannah, I'll be there." Godric assured. "I won't let anything happen to her, Eric."
"No. End of story." Eric shook his head. "This won't happen."
"Eric, please, just listen to reason." I sighed.
"You're the one not listening to reason!"
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep calm. It wouldn't help the matter if I lost my temper too. So instead, I just walked up to the tense, angry vampire and hesitantly reached my hand out. He flinched as I tried to cup his cheek, but with a frown, I refused to back down and eventually cupped his warm cheek in my hand. He refused to look me in the eye, but that was just fine; he could still hear me without looking at me.
"I love that you care so much about me that you're refusing to listen to Godric and I. I love that you care so much about me that you're being stubborn as hell." I couldn't help the small, miniscule smile that began spreading across my lips. "But I need you to believe in me. I need you to believe that I won't do anything stupid, that I won't let anything happen to you or Godric..."
"It's not us I'm worried about." Eric grunted, still looking off to the side. "We can take care of ourselves, you can't."
"Yes I can." I insisted. "I'm a necromancer, remember? Marnie is tapping into my magic. That must mean I'm pretty powerful if she's using my magic to do all of this."
"You're naive and ignorant. She knows how to yield your gift more than you do." he made sure to point out to me.
"I know that. Believe me, my pride isn't very happy about that. But it still doesn't mean I'm completely helpless. I was caught off guard last night. I wasn't expecting any of that to happen. It also probably doesn't help that I was distracted from fighting with you two. But I won't be tonight. I'll be on my game, I'll concentrate and focus. I'll be fine."
"We're the ones who have to carry you into cemeteries after your meetings with her. I've seen the life in your eyes dull because of her. She's more capable than you might think."
"So am I." I argued. "Maybe I don't know everything that I need to about what I am. Maybe I'm weak and defenceless. And hell, I'm scared out of my mind right now. But I know we have to do this. Because if we don't, who knows what she'll do or who she'll hurt. She's power hungry. She needs to be taken care of now. Before anything else happens."
"So then just let me deal with this. Let us fight this battle."
"It's my battle too, Eric." I raised my other hand to his naked chest, laying it over where his dead heart lay. "Go to Bill, figure out how you're going to kill this bitch, and I'll deal with her in the meanwhile. I promise you, Eric Northman, that I'll be fine."
"And if you're not?" he finally turned his glare down onto me, his eyes narrowing into slits. "What then?"
"Well then I guess you'll be right." I shrugged. "And I'll let you have your way with me."
"This isn't a joke, Savannah."
"I know that." I let out another heavy sigh, something I was doing a lot of lately. "I know I have more than just myself to be thinking of now. We're a team. No, we're more than that. We're a triumvirate; you two, well you're my other halves. You're a part of me. I'm not going to get us all killed, I promise you that."
Eric was still grumpy as ever, and I knew he didn't like this one bit. But instead of arguing, instead of nixing the idea like he had been, he actually nodded.
"I want the record to show that I never approved of this."
"It's written down in the history books." I assured him, my small smile widening. "Thank you."
"This isn't going to end well, you know that, right? This is a shitty plan."
"Yeah well it's a pretty shitty situation, now isn't it?"
"Just remember, whatever happens tonight, I warned you."
The King's guard could do nothing as Eric stormed the Compton estate, passing by them all in only a blink of an eye until he was standing before Bill's occupied desk, the vampire in question barely moving a muscle at the sudden intrusion.
"Eric, what do I owe this pleasure?" Bill leisurely gazed up from his book to the Viking, raising an eyebrow at his elder.
"We need to have a little chat." Eric spat.
"Ah yes, I believe we do." Bill closed the book, placing it off to the side before folding his hands together on top of his desk. "I understand you've bought Sookie's house. Any chance I can convince you to sell it back to her?"
Eric's frown deepened. "No."
"To me then?" Bill pushed.
"No."
Bill's chipper smile faded, he too frowning. "Well I suppose we're at odds then."
"I suppose so." Eric stood there, his hands clasped together tightly before him.
"Why have you come here then if not to talk about your fascination with Sookie?" Bill questioned, leaning back in his chair questioningly.
"We have a little issue to discuss."
"A witch issue?" Bill assumed. "Would this be concerning the fact that they brought a bird back from the dead?"
"Yes." Eric narrowed his eyes, glaring down at the younger vampire. "Question is, how did you know about it?"
"I have someone on the inside." Bill couldn't help the smirk threatening to cross his lips. Any possible way to undermine Eric he was glad to achieve. "Other than your little human of course. You didn't think I would entirely trust you to make sure she didn't screw this up, did you? And it looks like I had a reason to be cautious."
"Savannah had nothing to do with this." Eric was quick to defend, his fingernails digging into the flesh of his hands.
"These were harmless witches before she ever joined their coven." Bill pointed out.
Eric stepped forward in intimidation. "And whose fault is that? You were the one adamant for her to join."
"She's the reason these witches are digging into necromancy. You have to admit that it's a bit alarming how powerful they've gotten since Savannah joined their ranks.
Eric's fists were curled at his sides now, trying to control his anger and not leap across the desk to rip Bill's head from his shoulder. "She never wanted this. I never wanted this. This was your doing, Bill."
"And now you're going to fix it." Bill demanded, puffing his chest out like a lion.
"Gladly." Eric voiced coldly. "But not because your ordering it of me. She's done. She's out. Whatever little game you're trying to play, it's over. If you threaten her again, I'll kill you." Eric grew closer to the desk, leaning forward and grasping onto the edge of the glass surface. "I'm older than half of the authority put together. I don't fear them, and I certainly don't fear you."
Bill leaned further back in his chair, putting distance between them. "Make this go away, Eric. I don't have to remind you of the implications of this. If this witch can control the dead, then she can control us. Fix this or else."
Eric gripped so tightly onto the desk that cracks were beginning to appear before he finally let go, rising to his full height as his fangs began peeking from his top lip. "Are you threatening me now?"
"I want the witch dead, Eric, or else I'll personally see to it that Savannah is the one to be terminated." Bill warned. "I refuse to believe she's innocent in all of this. She likely has you and Godric under her spell. She's dangerous, Eric..."
"I'd be careful what you say, if I were you."
"Just deal with this, Eric." A sour look crossed the confident king's face. "Before I have to. And you really don't want me to get more involved than I already am. For all of your sakes."
Eric grit his teeth together, glaring holes right through Bill. "I will go tonight." he sarcastically bowed slowly, dragging the mocking out for as long as he could "my king."
"Good." Bill stood, trying to regain whatever authority and power he could. "Thank you Sheriff."
Eric sent him one last glare before twisting on his heel and storming towards the door. He knew now more than ever that he needed to get rid of Marnie. Before the same could be done toSavannah.
I sat in a chair in the corner of the meeting room, watching as the coven members took their spot in the circle. I had refused to join them, refused to take part in their activities for the night. Just because I wanted to be here to make sure Marnie didn't go overboard, it didn't mean I wanted to join in. Holly had thankfully agreed with me, and convinced Marnie to just let me watch for the evening. I was grateful for the blonde's support; after all, she had seen me at my worst last night.
"So, what are we going to bring back next?"
That question forced my gaze up from my lap, my eyes shooting to an eager witch sitting on one side of Holly. There was a wide, excited grin on her face as she thought about the prospects of what last night could mean. Was she absolutely crazy? Didn't she know what happened last night? Bringing back the dead was not something anyone should want to mess with. Hell, I was a necromancer and I didn't want to deal with it. If I was forced to have this gift, then I was going to use it for good, that's it. It was bad enough when I found myself using my powers to control Eric and Godric. I felt dirty, it all felt wrong.
But maybe that was the difference between Marnie and I. I knew the difference between right and wrong. I might have felt it before, knowing I had this dark magic inside of me, but I knew it now more than ever that I did have a pure heart, that I wasn't evil just because of what I was. Marnie on the other hand, she was the epitome of evil, and I had a feeling she had been long before I ever came into the picture. I just happened to be a way for her to finally achieve all that she's ever wanted.
"A person." Marnie whispered.
Her comment fell on deaf ears for a moment, but I didn't seem to be the only one who thought they heard her wrong.
"Excuse me?" Jesus raised an eyebrow.
"A person." Marnie repeated with confidence.
I nearly fell right off my chair. My eyes grew wide, my pulse began to quicken, and if I hadn't of squashed the sudden fear that swept through me like a wild fire, I knew Godric would have burst into the room within seconds. I couldn't believe I was hearing her right, but I knew I was. My fear, the reason I had come here tonight to keep an eye on Marnie was to make sure raising a dead bird was as far as she went. And here she was, wanting to resurrect a human being. Was she absolutely insane? I knew I had real reason to worry about her, a real reason why I had to come here tonight. I just didn't realize how real it all was until now.
"I'm sorry, what the fuck?" Jesus stole the words right from my mouth. I was happy to see that I wasn't the only one who was floored by this decision. Death was just not something you should ever mess with. I knew that long before I ever realized what I was. Death was supposed to be permanent for a reason.
"We're going to raise a human body." There was a determination in Marnie's voice that sent a chill right up my spine, my hands beginning to shake in my lap. I thought I would just be monitoring her usage of whatever bit of my magic she could get her greedy hands on. I never expected that she would seriously want to raise a dead body. And tonight of all nights.
"Hurry the fuck up, Eric." I thought to myself. I knew that if she went ahead with this, that tonight was going to end much worse than last night had. Because it had felt excruciating merely for a small little bird to be brought back to life. How much of my power and energy would needed to be used for an actual human body? I wasn't sure I could take that kind of agony, that kind of drainage. And my beast didn't think so either as she was pacing back and forth within me, causing my stomach to churn, flipping and flopping away to the point that I thought I was going to end up throwing up before anything even happened.
Eric was right, he was so right it wasn't even funny. Maybe I shouldn't have come tonight. Maybe I should have kept my distance from Marnie like we had all agreed to. Maybe I should have just let Eric and Godric take care of Marnie for me while I sat back and watched. But unfortunately, I couldn't just look back now. I had made this decision, and for good reason. I was just going to have to sit it out, hope and pray that Eric got permission from Bill to kill her, and very very soon. Before I found myself being the dead body tonight.
"This is where you lose me." Lafayette, Merlotte's cook and Jesus' boyfriend shook his head.
"Holy shit Marnie." Holly looked appalled at the suggestion.
"Why not a pigeon or something?" the once eager witch didn't look so excited now. I guess bringing a bird back from the dead was one thing, but an actual human being? That just wasn't sitting well with the coven.
Well most of them anyways.
"I don't see what the big deal is." One man shrugged excitedly and it almost made me want to spit in disgust at his enthusiasm. What was wrong with him?
"Yeah..." Lafayette's cousin raised an eyebrow as she rose from the chair she was sitting in. "I'll be waiting out front."
"I hear ya bitch." Lafayette waved her out, looking like he wanted to follow right behind her. Hell, so did I.
"Will you all join me?" Marnie looked around at the circle before her gaze settled on me. I cursed silently, trying not to catch her eye. There was no way in hell I was going to get into that circle. Sure, touching Marnie would be the best way to keep this show under wraps, but I also knew the dangers of what would happen the moment each and every one of us were joined together. It was going to be a catastrophe and I refused to let that happen. "Savannah? Will you join us in the circle?"
"Sorry, this isn't up my alley." I shook my head, trying to remain calm. A part of me wanted Godric to swoop in and fix all of this, but I also knew the disaster it'll be once he enters the magic shop. I wanted to put it off for as long as I could. So far we were only talking about raising the dead. Without actually tapping into my necromancy, Marnie wouldn't be able to do a damn thing, right? I just prayed she wasn't harbouring any of my power from last night still.
"This is exactly what you were made for." A dreamy look crossed her face. "You are the key."
"I'm sorry, but that's just not going to happen."
"You are the one who's brought great power into this circle. We've all felt it. Last night occurred because of your special gift, my dear. Now come, join us; join your family." she held a hand out towards me.
"Yeah, seriously not going to..." I gasped, feeling a sudden tight grip on my throat. My eyes grew wide as my hands flew up to my neck, searching for what was choking the air from my lungs. But I was met with nothing but air.
"Join us." Marnie's plea was more forceful now as her tone lowered, her eyes growing dark. "Join us now, Necromancer."
There was silence in the room except for my gasping for breath. I tried desperately to breathe in even just a single breath of air, but I couldn't. There was an invisible hand grasping onto my throat tighter than Eric ever had before in the past. I knew it was Marnie's doing. I knew it was some magical spell she was casting upon me. But she hadn't even uttered a word. Could she do that? Had she really gotten this powerful just from a taste of my necromancy?
I was really beginning to wish I had just listened to Eric.
"I know what you are." A look of glee crossed her face and it gave me the creeps. The spiralling darkness surrounding her was growing and mounting as she spoke and it was almost terrifying. How no one in the room was screaming bloody murder and running far far away was beyond me. "I've known for awhile now. Your magic, your essence, it's remarkable."
I couldn't utter a word in defence, Marnie's magical grip still tightly choking the life right out of me. It wasn't enough that she had tried to dig it right out of me last night, now she was doing whatever she could, without even touching me, to get what she wanted.
It wasn't until my limbs began to grow weak, my vision blurring that the tightening grasp was released. I coughed, I rubbed at my raw throat as if it had been on fire for days as the others discussed what Marnie had accused me of being.
"But they're not real." Jesus shook his head, not believing what she had been saying at all. "Necromancy is only an old wise tale, nothing more."
"You know as well as I do that tales come from the truth, Jesus." Marnie sent him a brief look before glancing back at me. "Join me, Savannah. Together, we can create something beautiful."
"I said no." I spat out, stifling a wince at my sore, raw throat
"Marnie, I don't think we should do this." Holly piped up and I sent her a look of gratitude. "This is a little beyond what we've studied."
"This is what magic was created for. This is why we're all here." Marnie insisted. "The Goddesses have brought Savannah to us; this is our destiny; this is what we're meant for."
"Yeah I don't think so." Jesus looked about ready to just stand up and leave, as did about half of the coven that weren't complete idiots. This was delving into subjects none of them had even considered. They just wanted to play with magic, to insert themselves into this supernatural world that had grown so quickly since the Great Revelation. But none of them ever wanted to raise the dead. They never wanted to travel down that dark, foggy path of uncertainty that Marnie was forcing us down.
"And anyways, where the fuck are ya'll going to get a dead body." Lafayette spoke up with a bewildered look on his face.
As if on cue, the green double doors separating the shop with the back room burst open, revealing none other than one third of my triumvirate.
Just not the one I was expecting to see.
"Eric." I breathed under my breath not loud enough for anyone other than him to hear.
He barely even sent a glance in my direction however, even though I knew he knew I was there, sitting in the corner. My heart was racing as that infamous smirk of his spread across his lips. There was an air of fear orbiting around the room from the coven, all gasping in fright at the sudden intrusion. I on the other hand, wasn't sure whether to sigh in relief, or be worried at what this could all mean. It had been Godric who I had expected to come storming through those doors, not Eric. Had he talked with Bill? Had he been given permission to finally take care of Marnie? Was that why he was here?
"Excuse me..." Eric stepped into the room, that wide smirk still on his lips as he clasped his hands together. "Y'all looking for a dead body?"
The coven raised the moment Eric's fangs extended with a click. Not sure what to do, I stood alongside of them, trying to catch Eric's gaze. But he wouldn't look at me, not directly. I pushed at the shields I had forced up the moment I stepped into this building, but he too had shields made of steel and was blocking from me with enough restraint that it physically exhausted me to keep pushing at those walls. All I could do was just stand there, play dumb, and hope to god Eric knew what he was doing.
"I'm told," Eric began striding around the room, his blue orbs gazing over every single witch. "That your leader's name is Marnie."
"Really?" a blonde was brave enough to speak. "Who told you that?"
"Well let's just say..." Eric snickered to himself as he turned back towards the coven. "A little bird told me. So, which one of you lovely ladies is Marnie?"
I felt Eric's eyes on me for the briefest of seconds and I knew what he was silently asking for. I turned my head towards Marnie who stood close to me, almost as if she thought I would protect her. Fat chance. I was surprised, however, when she stepped forward.
"I am. I'm Marnie."
"Excellent." Eric stared Marnie down, as if trying to strike fear into the woman. And I was shocked when I found none. That dark magic continued to spark around her, as if she was using it to shield herself from Eric. And maybe she was; who the hell knew what she was capable of. She had nearly choked me to death. She had tried time and time again to strip me of my own magic, my own essence. She had nearly killed all three of us just for her selfish, greedy desires. She was absolutely crazy; someone so crazy that she was seriously dangerous. She wanted to bring a human body back to life. That wasn't just something you could ignore. She was far more dangerous that we ever assumed she would turn out to be.
And that was partially my fault, and I hated myself for it. I had been the one to put us in this situation. If I had just hid my powers better, if I hadn't gone and nearly raised that vampire, Bill never would have found out that I was a necromancer. And then he never would have blackmailed me into doing this. But I had been careless and now we were in this situation because of me. And sadly, I wasn't so sure I could get us out of it. I just prayed that Eric was here for one reason and one reason only; and that was to kill Marnie.
"Thank you for coming forward." Eric stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as his shoulders tensed beneath his leather jacket. I knew that look far too well. I knew the anger that was swelling, the rage that was boiling deep inside. I knew him well enough, both without our bond and with it, to know when he was going to burst. And he was only seconds away from doing just that. "Now here's the deal Marnie; this is the last time your coven will ever convene. You will pack up and you will leave Shreveport. Do you understand?"
I was shocked by his words. What happened to taking care of her? What happened to killing her? What the hell was Eric doing?
"And before you even think about agreeing and meeting behind my back, know this; there is no behind my back." Eric warned fiercely. "I. Am. Everywhere."
I wanted to question him now more than ever. Why was he just trying to run her out of town? Why wasn't he doing anything? How was this going to stop Marnie? She would only find another town, another coven to aid her. And then she'll come right back after my power. It may be from afar, but she'll do everything in her power to attack me slowly until she has every ounce of my magic, of my necromancer. With or without my consent. We needed to kill this bitch, and quick. Before there was a crap load of zombies wondering around. Me likely being one of them.
Eric must have sensed my confusion, my own bubbling anger as his gaze fell on mine for a moment. That look, it told me all that I needed to know though. One simple look and I knew exactly what he was trying to tell me. he was trying to assure me that everything was going to be alright, that he needed me to trust him to get me out of here unharmed. And I knew that he would. We may have fought too many times lately, I may have doubts about this rocky relationship, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Eric would protect me at all costs.
I just wished that included killing Marnie.
"W-what's in it for me?" Marnie demanded, and though there was a thick air of dark energy swirling around her, I could still hear the slight wavering in her voice. Maybe she wasn't so confident after all.
"I said it was a deal, not a negotiation." He hissed angrily, a slight growl to his dangerously low voice.
There was a long, tense moment of silence that unnerved me. My hands fidgeted at my sides as I continued to stand in the corner of the room, looking between the coven and Eric. Everyone was at a standstill. The anger was still radiating off of Eric while Marnie refused to back down. And then I felt that familiar prickle in the back of my head, one that I had felt one too many times in this very room. I could feel her; it was like she was pushing her hand deep within me, searching for the source of my power. I tensed at first, every bone in my body bracing itself for what was to come. The prickling soon began a sharp pain, forcing me to take a long intake of breath, wincing loudly as it felt like a sharp, burning knife had jabbed itself into me, digging through my insides as if she could pull my necromancy right out of me. Eric must have sensed this, as his head snapped quickly to the side, his piercing gaze boring right through me. I couldn't see him, not entirely; my vision was blurring quickly, and soon my legs were shaking, growing too weak to hold me up. I could feel myself crashing back down into my chair, my hands gripping at the arms for support. I was breathing heavily now, searching for relief but there was none. The stabbing grew worse, the digging became more intense. I could even feel a trickle of blood sliding down from my nostril from the sudden metaphysical intrusion, the war that was raging inside of me.
"What the..." Lafayette muttered before hell was completely let loose.
Even with my blurry vision, I could just barely make out Eric speeding forward, grasping Marnie tightly and holding her in his clutches, his fangs only an inch from her pulsing vein. Loud gasps sounded in the room from the rest of the coven, cries and pleads being shouted at the vampire. Holly however, once again was my saviour as she ignored everything else and came to my side.
"Savannah?" she whispered to me, laying her hand on my arm. "Are you..."
"You shouldn't have done that." Eric growled into Marnie's ear, but it was loud enough for the rest of us to hear. He tightened his hand around her throat, forcing her to endure the same pain that she had put me through not even minutes ago. I would have been happy about that fact if it didn't still feel like my insides were being ripped from my body, inch by inch, as slow as possible to drag out the torture. "Now I'm just going to have to kill you."
Without warning, Eric's fangs extended, sinking straight into Marnie's neck. The woman screamed, as did the other witches, all frozen to the spot as Eric drank the life right out of their ring leader's body. With every sip, with every drop of blood that Eric took from her body, I began to find relief; I began to feel a little sliver of the agony disappear. My lungs felt as if they were on fire, but I sighed heavily in relief, leaning back in the chair, grateful that once and for all, Marnie would be out of my life and I would never have to worry about her again.
But of course, these witches, this idiotic coven, just couldn't leave well enough alone.
Instead of rejoicing that they would be rid of the crazy woman, they tried to protect her. They yelled, they screamed until they were blue in the face. And when that didn't work, they joined hands.
"Elements of the night, elements of the dead, come this way we call upon you, we summon thee." They began to chant.
I grew sick, disgusted that these witches, these innocent people were trying to save Marnie. Didn't they know what she was capable of? Didn't they realize what she would have them do if she lived? Apparently not because they just kept chanting and chanting, waiting for their goddesses to protect her.
It wasn't the chanting, however, that stopped Eric, but instead Lafayette's cousin that came running back into the room, stake in hand, and ran at Eric with purpose. Eric shoved Marnie to the ground with vigour before grasping onto Tara, blood dripping from his fangs.
"Well what do we have here?"
I wanted to yell at Eric to forget her, to focus back on Marnie. But I couldn't. Because I couldn't talk. I couldn't utter a sound. I couldn't even breathe.
The air in the room suddenly changed. The cloud of darkness that had been hovering over Marnie for weeks began spreading throughout the room before a sudden gust of air swept through all the doors and windows. A gust of wind that flew at me, knocking right into my chest, forcing me right out of the chair and to my knees. Holly tried to hold me up, but nothing she did or said could help me. It felt like claws were ripping at my chest, like beasts were trying to force their way into me, searching for my magic, my essence, and even my soul. My own beast tried to battle back, but it was too small, it was too powerless. All I could do was writher on that ground in pure agony as those claws ripped away at me. I couldn't see, not as the claws dug deeper inside of me. I was blind and deaf to the world, gasping for air but finding not a single breath. All I could feel were those claws curling around me, around the light that resided inside of me, and pulled.
This time, I found a voice; I found a gasp of air. And I just started screaming. I screamed bloody murder, I screamed until my throat was raw, until it was bleeding, forcing me to choke up blood. But I just didn't care. It was nothing compared to the sheer pain, the torture I was feeling at that moment. I never thought the pain I had felt in the past could get any worse. But I was wrong. I was so so wrong.
"Savannah..." I heard my name, only just barely, but I knew it was Eric, I knew he was trying to get to me.
But he couldn't.
When my vision finally became clear, I found the room to be dark, the gust of wind swirling about in the room angrily. And then there was Marnie. She was standing before a still Eric, chanting in that obscure language once more. I tried to move, I tried to reach out to Eric, to stop whatever Marnie was doing, but there was nothing I could do. My limbs felt heavy, the pain was increasing by the second, and it felt like the blood shared between Eric and I were slowly beginning to slip away. It scared me; I was scared out of my mind. Eric was just standing there, his fangs descended, the blood dripping off his chin. He was struggling against the invisible bonds holding him to the spot. He was doing everything he possibly could to get to me. I could see the red forming in the corner of his eyes; I felt his stare on me, as if he could simply glare all the pain and agony away. But no matter how strong he might be, he was no match against Marnie, against the dark witch who was channeling a necromancer and her magic.
"Savannah..." he called to me one last time before suddenly everything just stopped.
The room grew quiet, the wind began to die down as the lights flickered back on. I could feel the claws loosening from around me, slowly pulling themselves from inside of me until I finally found that ounce of relief I had been praying for. But it wasn't my own well being that I cared about in that moment. It was Eric's. Because he was just standing there. He wasn't struggling, he wasn't doing much of anything. He was just standing before us all, looking around as if he couldn't explain how he had gotten there. His fangs retracted, his blue orbs growing wide as saucers. And then, just like that, with only a snap of his fingers, he left. He just backed away, as if forgetting about the fact that I was lying on the floor of the room, a complete mess and still reeling in the after affects of whatever had happened, and he just sped from the room
"What the fuck?" Lafayette was the only one brave enough to utter a single word. "What the hell just happened?"
That was the question of the hour.
What the hell had Marnie done to me?
What the hell had she been chanting?
And what the fuck had she done toEric?