Spellbound
Is it getting closer and closer to the end of our journey? I can't believe it either. Wait! Will we be lucky enough to get another chapter today as well? Or will she just leave us with this one? What is she going to do? Will she post it tomorrow? Or will she make us wait until next weekend to get the last few chapters? Maybe I'll post another two chapters tonight. Who knows. Have your alerts ready and your eyes peeled.
I hope that ya'll enjoy and have a grand old time reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
The main characters are not mine. They belong to Charlaine Harris. Selene belongs to the wonderful Greg Cox. The story idea, flawed as it may be, it is mine. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing.
S/N: I've also been working on another story that I'd posted a while ago about Eric and Sookie when they were in high school. I found it on an old jump drive. I've completed it and was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading it but only after this story is done. Let me know and if I get decent feedback on it, I'll post a chapter a day.
Bart stared at the silver urn with Andre's name etched on the front of it. He knew that André was in it. He could feel it in his bones but he had to hear him say it. He needed to hear the vampire say that André was in the urn. In all of his many years, he never expected to live to see the day that their leader would meet the true death. He looked at Eric and asked, "What is that?"
Patting Bart on the cheek, Eric said, "You're not afraid, are you? Well, you shouldn't be. Don't you worry your pretty, little head about that. When it's time, you'll see."
As Eric walked away Bart continued to stare at the silver urn. His face was blank but his eyes betrayed him. He was afraid. If André is in that urn, he knew that the jig was up. He's going to die just as Salome and Russell have. There was no chance for him to make up for his wrongdoings. He wasn't going to be allowed to volunteer at the orphan vampire shelter ... not that he'd do it. He wasn't going to be able to pay restitution ... not with money. He was going to have to pay with his life. And that was one thing that he didn't want to give. He'd lived for over 900 years and now it was all going to end because of greed carelessness. He could've said no. He didn't have to decide to harvest the halflings. He didn't have to help torture the halflings ... take their lives. He didn't have to sit back and listen as Andre tried to rape the faery. He didn't have to participate in the drinking of her blood but he did. He had a choice and he chose to follow the others. That in turn made him a weakling.
"Can we get Godric back out here please?" Eric said.
Clancy nodded as he placed Andre's urn on the table with the council members. "I will guard the girl with Chow. Shall I send for Selene as well?"
"Yes," Eric replied. He then looked at the urn and smirked. "I guess he made it to the meeting after all," he cracked.
Sandy snorted as Shiloh guffawed. "Good one," she said. "That was a good one."
In seconds, Clancy was gone and Selene and Godric had taken his place. Selene had made her way to stand next to Bart while Godric returned to his previous seat.
Eric gave Godric a questioning look as to ask about Amelia.
Godric returned the look to let him know that the girl was doing fine.
Claudette walked to Eric and stood at his side. "Let's get this show on the road," she whispered.
"You are right, old friend," Eric said. "Let's."
The vampires were eager to know what was going on. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke every vampire in the room and from the looks of it, they wouldn't have minded it one bit. There was no way they were leaving until they found out what has happened and why Andre's name is on that urn.
Eric walked to where the silver screen hung over the stage. He looked up at it before looking out at the crowd of vampires. "I will bet the finest blood in all the world to purest silver available that you all are wondering why this silver screen is hovering over the stage. Well, I am going to tell you," he announced. "This is to show you all the proof that Bart believes that we do not have. This is to show you that our leaders were too busy worrying about padding their pockets instead of doing right by their subjects. This will show you all how blindly we were to believe that they had our best interests at heart. Shiloh," Eric said as he returned to his seat.
Shiloh grinned proudly and pointed the remote at the screen.
As soon as the screen came to life, Bart dropped his head. It was over. He knew that his life was over. There was no way that the AP was going to allow him to walk away after seeing what was on that screen. This was his last night on this earth. It was over. So he did the only thing that he could do. He returned to his seat … with Selene closely following him.
Everyone was seeing the first meeting that was held in Andre's home. André needed to get the blood of the fae in order to save his life. He'd tried the blood of the faery Claudia and it did nothing for him. From what he was told, because of who she was, her blood had to be given to him willingly in order for it heal him. He was also told that because it was she that had bitten him, her blood would have done nothing for him. He was at loss. He didn't know what to do. He was the last of his bloodline and he had to do something in order to keep existing in this world. He'd done some research and he'd learned that the faeries are notorious for sleeping with the humans. They've bred with the humans. Since the blood of Claudia was enchanted, the halfling blood could possibly have just the amount of faery blood that is needed to heal him. But until he could get his hands on halfling blood, he needed to get help from wherever he could find it.
His loyal subject, Jake Purefoy, came through for him. He'd told André about the woman that helped him. He'd given André the woman's name and address. Felicia, the hematologist, was working on a new project and it was giving her phenomenal results. He was sure that if the blood worked for him, it would have to work for André and it did. André wanted to know what she'd done and how she'd done it but she wouldn't tell him. She wouldn't even give him a hint as to who'd supplied the blood. Because he wasn't getting regular doses, the effects of the doctored halfling blood didn't last at all. If he could get that human to give him what he needed, they could market the blood and make their blood the most sought after blood available. Its healing properties alone would be reason enough to market it.
They knew for certain that the blood didn't belong to any full blooded human. There was no way that human blood could fashion such results. The blood had to have come from the halflings. There was no other explanation for it. André decided that he'd get on the woman's good side ... send her gifts, keep her protected and maybe she'd give him what he wanted from her. But he was wrong.
She wouldn't do it. Regardless of what he'd given to her, she would not let go of her moral code.
Everyone could hear André and his band of merry thugs talking about the amount of money that they could make by harvesting the blood of the halflings. They were discussing ways of putting the human Felicia on the payroll so that she would work for them … that way, they would have unlimited access to her blood donor list. Still, she wouldn't do it. She turned them away. She didn't want their money and she didn't want their time. She wanted them to leave her alone. She told them that she had friends in high places and those friends were family. Her uncle was the lead agent in their supernatural unit. And because her father was the director of the FBI. After learning that information, they had no choice but to leave her alone. That didn't mean that they'd given up on getting what they wanted because they hadn't. André ordered Bill to break into the girl's lab to get what was needed.
Needless to say, that didn't work either. The girl had cameras in her lab. She was protecting her work, she said. She told André that if Compton came anywhere near her home again, she would contact her father, her uncle, and the AVL and have him handled. They'd tried glamoring her but that didn't work either. Because of her father, she had an unlimited supply of the glamor proof contacts. After that, André put out an edict that the girl is not to be bothered ever again.
They talked about Bill's failure of not being able to get the information when he'd broken into her office. After that failure and in order to save face, Bill offered to procure the halflings himself. He was one of the best procurers around and André had him on the payroll. He promised the vampires that he could get them what they wanted. He only wanted one thing. "I want my place in this world," he said. "I want a place at the table. I want the power that I deserve and will have earned. If I can get that, I guarantee you that I will get you what you need."
Because he was a trusted member of André's retinue, his request was accepted. "You have a deal," André said.
After agreeing to his terms, Bill decided told the others about the girl, Amelia, that he's been seeing for a couple of months. He talked of how her blood is exquisite and how sweet she smells. He just knew that she has to be a halfling. He'd never tasted a human as sweet as Amelia. He told them that there were more girls like Amelia. They ran in the same circles. He talked about those girls and how each of them had a smidgen of that sweet smell. He believed that Maggie and Amelia were more than the others. He said that they could possibly be the only ones that they'd need but if they played their cards right, they could get each of the girls … just to make sure they had the right taste, the right scent. They each agreed with Bill's plan. That night, they'd put their plan in motion.
"If I may," Godric said as he stood from his seat.
"Go ahead," Eric permitted.
Taking the remote from Shiloh and pausing the film, Godric asked, "What has happened to this Maggie? Is she among the missing? I noticed that she wasn't included in the lineup of missing girls. Has her body not be located or is she still among the living?"
Eric looked to Claudette to answer that question. "She's been in hiding," she confirmed. "Bill had glamored her parents into giving her to them but she'd made a way to keep that from happening. The girl is safe and she will be returned home once everything here has been settled. I assure you, when the time is right, you and the other council members will be made aware of her existence."
Godric nodded at Claudette as he hit the clicker once again.
It'd been a few weeks, according to the date, since their third meeting. The camera was on Andre's, Salome's, Russell's, Bart's, and Bill's face. Freyda was sitting off to the side filing her nails. Sophie Ann and the now dead Mickey were there with them. Copley Carmichael had just walked through the doors with his check book, a file, and a bodyguard, Tyrese, in tow. He looked the most stoic out of all of them. If they didn't know any better, they would've thought that he was a vampire.
"I have thought over your proposition, vampire," Copley began. "And I want in." He slid a file across the table to André. "Here is what you'll need. Everything that you need to know about my Amelia is in that folder ... medical history is complete. I've always found it strange that she's never been sick a single day in her life and that she doesn't have a blood type and now I know why." He then shrugged his shoulders. "It must be from her mother's side of the family."
André opened the folder and began reading over the information that was given to him.
"Keep my daughter safe," he ordered André. "If anything happens to her, I will make each of you pay with your fucking lives. You can use as much of her blood as you need without killing her but you must promise me that you will take care of her. You can't let anything happen to her. You will not abuse her in any way. And I must be able to see her whenever I need to. I have to see for myself that she's safe. If you can't agree to these terms, there is no deal."
Freyda stopped filing her nails long enough to laugh at the audacity of the human. "Fucking humans," she mumbled. "Even after all of these years, they still have the ability to amuse me." She shook her head at Copley before returning her attention back to her nails.
"You do realize that you are in a room filled with vampires," Russell reminded him.
"And you do realize that I'm no fool," Copley retorted. "Do you think that I'd come to a meeting with you blood suckers without letting others know who I'm with or where I am? I have many contacts, many powerful contacts, and I've made damned sure to let them know that I'm here in New Orleans with André Paul. They know that we are discussing a possible deal and they know that if anything happens to me, they are to look to you first." He shook his head at the idea of Russell's stupidity. "I always cover my bases. Now, tell me. Do we have a deal or not?"
Salome's eyes danced at the very idea of doing anything that a human told her to do. To her, it was quite comical; though she knew that they had no choice but to do what he wanted.
Russell and Bart agreed to what Copley wanted. The idea of being able to corner the blood market was a venture that they couldn't possible let slip through their cold, dead fingers. They weren't really interested in the girl ... not now. Not yet.
"You have my word," André promised. "Now, write me the fucking check so that we can get this project started."
Copley did as the vampire ordered. Once the check was written, he and his bodyguard left without another word.
As the tapings continued on, everyone was able to see how the girls were paraded before the vampires one at time … two weeks apart. They were presented to the vampires naked. Each girl was crying; begging to be let go, begging for their freedom … all of them except for Pixie. She glared at each vampire ... taking in their faces ... remembering their voices. She'd only hope that when the time comes she'll be able to let her princess know who'd taken her and what they'd done. Her beautiful, coal black eyes were piercing. Her wavy black hair fell beautifully over her shoulders and down her back. Unlike the others, her back was straightened and her head was held high. She looked like the faeries of old. The only thing that was missing was her glow. The long term exposure to iron had taken its toll on the faery.
They could hear Bill bragging of how he'd discovered that Bridget was fae. He'd found the elixirs that she'd hidden in her room. Just as soon as he had the chance, he'd planted small pieces of iron throughout the girls' apartment. And as soon as they had Amelia, Bill took that opportunity to get the full blooded fae as weak as possible. As soon as his task was done, he took the faery as his own.
There was talk of needing a full blooded faery to balance out what the halflings could possibly be missing. Sophie Ann and Mickey were the only ones to believe that it was a bad idea. They'd warned the others that full fae blood could be traceable. They knew that if they'd been around the wrong supes, it would be known that they'd had pure faery blood. Sophie Ann was the most vocal.
"We can't do this," she said. "We have the meeting with the princess and Northman in a couple of weeks. The treaty with the French Vampires Association is up for renewal. Sookie will know what we've done. She'll be able to smell her on us. We've already drained Claudia. We can't risk killing another faery. It will be our undoing if we go through with this."
Mickey agreed. Shaking his head no, he said, "I'm willing to risk it with the halflings because they're not known in our world and their blood isn't as potent as full fae blood but this." He looked at his superiors and added, "This will be the end of us. We can't do this. We'll be handing our lives over to the Northman and the princess. I know that you think that this is what's best but we have to really think about what we're doing."
Needless to say, the other vampires didn't agree with them. They laughed at Sophie Ann and Mickey. They couldn't understand the fear of the younger vampires.
Bart laughed heartily, loudly. "You have nothing to fear. We don't have to meet with the princess or Northman. We can put them off as we have been doing. We can send our seconds in our stead. Think Sophie Ann," he said as he poked her on the side of her head. "We won't get caught."
Needless to say, he was wrong.
Sophie Ann's whimpers could be heard over the audio of the film. "I aunted out (I wanted out)," she grunted. "I ied oo op em (I tried to stop them). Ut ay ouldn't et e (But they wouldn't let me). I o orry or ut I un (I'm so sorry for what I've done). Ease orgie e (Please forgive me). I on't aunt oo ie (I don't want to die)."
Claudette walked over the Sophie Ann and brushed a strand of red hair from her forehead. She leaned in and kissed it before saying, "I'm so sorry but you will not find that here. There is no forgiveness for you. For either of you." She looked at Bart as she smiled evilly at him.
Bart knew that this was going to be his last night. He should've known that something was wrong when André didn't call him back last night to discuss how his plan to the take the princess fared. When the council members walked cheerfully into the hall, he should've known that their secondary plan had backfired. Taking the princess' fetal blood never came to pass. Taking her was a mistake in itself. André had always believed that he was untouchable. Bart chuckled.
"I guess he was wrong," he said aloud.
"What did you say?" Eric asked him as he stood in front of him.
With his shoulders stooped and his head dropped, Bart didn't repeat what he'd said. He asked another question. "Is André dead? Is André in that urn?"
Nodding, Eric said, "He is. I killed him. I killed him last night because he'd taken my wife hostage. André mistakenly believed that he'd get away with trying to take my wife away from me. But you already knew that, am I right? You, Russell, and Salome were already aware of Andre's plan to take what is mine."
"You are." He looked up at Eric and said, "So you are the new leader of the council."
"We are," he announced proudly. "We now control the head seat."
The vampires in attendance remained quiet and respectful though they were surprised at this new revelation.
Bart snorted. "Why am I not surprised?"
"You have no cause to be," Eric said. "You and your associates are the reason for our rise to power. My wife and I will rule fairly. We will see that all supes, vampires, faeries, Weres, and shifters alike, live in an equal society. We will take our race to new heights because we will all work as one. There will be no abuse of power here. The rules of the land will be followed by all. And with that I say, you are hereby sentenced to death."
Bart made a move to stand up but Selene had him by the back of his neck. "Stay where you are. Make a move towards him and I will break your fucking spine," she growled.
Bart looked at the AP; hoping that she would come to his defense but the blind seer looked at the disgraced king with not a sign of pity in her eyes. "Whatever happens to you, you've done to yourself," she proclaimed. "The sentence of death is just."
The Pythoness then stood up from her chair. "Come to me, Northman," she said.
Eric did as he was ordered. "Yes, Mistress," he said once he was standing in front of her.
She placed her hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes. "You and your wife will make fine leaders. Our world will thrive under your rule as will your family." She patted his shoulder one last time and said, "Tell that wife of yours that she will see me soon and please, call me Andromeda." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before being led away by her guards and handmaidens.
Turning to face the crowd, Eric proclaimed, "Bartlett Crowe and Sophie Ann LeClerque will be put to final death but not until after they've suffered for their sins. Three nights from now, there will be a meeting for the elders of the local nests and packs. On that night, positions of power will be assigned. Vampires, faeries, Weres, and shifters will rule side by side because we live side by side. After the positions have been assigned, the deaths of Bartlett Crowe and Sophie Ann will be carried out. Until then, remain honorable and true to the blood or you too, will suffer the same fate as these two that stand before you."
Before the stage could be cleared of their prisoners and council members, Bartlett decided to make one last plea in the hopes that someone would take pity on him. "I object to this new rise of power," he announced. "Who stands with me? The way he has taken this seat has gone against our bylaws. A vote needs to be handed down. We are allowed to have a say so in who runs this council. My life may be forfeit but I will not leave this world with Northman and his bride taking rule. Who stands with me?" he repeated. He looked at the council members as if he expected them to agree with him. His hopes began to rise when one of his equals made a move.
Godric stood up and said, "I stand with the Northman and his wife. They have my loyalty."
Shiloh and Sandy stood next. "As do we," they announced.
Thalia stood and said, "There is nowhere else I'd rather be. You have my loyalty and my blood." She looked Eric in his eyes as she made her pledge. "I will always stand with you."
"I've always been with you and now I'm with your wife," Selene announced. "My blood is yours."
Before long, Claudette, along the cloaked faeries who'd suddenly made an appearance, pledged their allegiance. "We stand with the Northman," Claudette said as she spoke for her kinsmen. "He has our loyalty and our swords."
One by one, the vampires, Weres, and shifters in attendance stood from their seats and pledged their loyalty as well.
The defeated and fallen king looked at Eric and sighed. "You have done what André never could," he said. "May your rule be long and prosperous."
"And so it will be," Eric said.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
After the meeting, Eric and Amelia went to the police station.
As they waited in the conference room for the chief, he asked her, "This is going to change everything for you. Once you do this, there's no going back. You can't take back what you're about to do. So, I am asking you are you sure that you want to do this?"
Amelia said yes. "I have to do this. More than anything. While I was being held captive, I pretended that everything that my father had done was okay but only because I wanted to go home. I didn't want to be used and abused any longer and I was willing to go back home to him just so that I can be free. I was willing to pretend that it never happened. I needed that pretend time just so that I could get through what was happening to me. I pretended because I thought that he was all that I'd have in this life. I was wrong. Sookie is there for me. You are there for me. This is what I have to do. I'm supposed to do this. My friends deserve this."
"Then I will stand with you," he assured her.
Just then, Chief Ambroselli walked into the room. "Are you ready?" she asked Amelia.
"I am," she said.
Eric, Amelia, and the chief walked out into a sea of flashing lights and microphones. Questions were being thrown at them from every angle; even before they'd stepped behind the podium. Amelia's eyes squinted because the bulbs were so bright and the noise was so loud. She knew that this was going to happen and she believed that she was prepared for it but she wasn't. She was terrified. So, she gripped Eric's hand for support.
He protectively pushed her behind him as he stood behind the podium and spoke into the microphone. "Please, contain yourselves and I will speak," he said.
They instantly did as he ordered them to.
"Thank you," he stated. "If you want to hear what she has to say, give her a little leeway. She has been through a lot. It is going to take some time. Let her speak and if she wants to answer any questions, she will let you know. If you cannot give her what she is asking of you, the interview will not be granted. A reporter of our choosing will be selected to tell her story at later date." He looked out at the reporters and asked, "Can you abide by these terms? If not, let us know now so that we can be on our way."
To show that they could, the talking stopped and the bulbs stopped flashing. The clicks of the tape recorders was all that could be heard.
Leaning over and whispering in her ear, Chief Ambroselli said, "Go ahead, sweetie. You can do this." She caressed Amelia's back as she and Eric moved to stand behind her.
Amelia looked up Eric ... fear was evident ... and strong.
"You can do this," he reassured her. "There's nothing to fear. I am here with you."
She nodded at him before looking out at the reporters. "I am Amelia Broadway and I was kidnapped and held captive. I was tortured and raped. Things were done to me that I will never forget. I survived a nightmare but my friends did not. This was done to us because of who we are and who we loved. Because I loved a vampire, it was assumed that my life was worth less than nothing. My life was no longer my own. I belonged to my captors in every way but I'm free now. What happened to me was meant to be a lesson to me and those like me. The lesson was that we didn't matter. And that lesson was taught to me by my father, Copley Carmichael," she whispered.
Mouths dropped open and eyes widened. The questions were about to start up but Eric's domineering appearance at Amelia's side stopped them. Those same mouths were soon closed and those eyes were back to normal.
Amelia continued on. "The entire time that we were missing, he knew where we were. He knew what was happening to us. He was a party to what was happening to us. I wanted to come forward and let the world know that my father is not that man that you all believe him to be. He is not the upstanding citizen that he portrays himself to be. He did not try to help me or the other girls. He was not concerned with our well being. He is not the loving father that he said that he was. He worked with Rene Leneir to make us pay for our so called sins. My father never loved me," she said as she dropped her head. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She then looked at Eric and said, "I don't want to do this anymore. I want to go home."
He took Amelia's hand into his and pulled her close to him as Chief Ambroselli ended the conference.
Lifting her hand as to fend off the questions, she said, "As we speak, Copley Carmichael is being arrested. There are police officers at his home right now bringing him in. When there are more updates, we will let you know."
Eric, Amelia, and Chief Ambroselli walked off of the stage and back into the conference room. Once the doors were closed, Eric presented Cara with a CD. "This is the proof that two of the vampires that were involved with the killings have been put to death. The last two vampires that we have are still alive but will be put to death in three nights. As we speak, they are being tortured for their crimes," he said. "There deaths will be carried out before those in an elite circle. If you are inclined to, you may come to observe."
Cara took the CD and quickly shook her head no. "I take you at your word, Mr. Northman. And I promise you that once I've looked at this disc, I will destroy it. No one will ever see it."
He already knew that to be true because once she watches it, it will be cleared of any and all data. There will be no trace of what she will see and it cannot be recorded. So, he knew that her words were true.
"I believe you," he stated.
"Thank you for all that you've done," Cara said. "Please give Mrs. Northman my gratitude."
"You are very welcome and I will," he said. "Come, Amelia. Let's go home."
The ride home was a quiet one … a peaceful one. Amelia slept all the way there. He tried waking her up but the girl was out like a light. Clancy offered to take the girl into the house. "I'll have Arayleaha get her ready for bed," he offered.
"Good evening, Clancy," Eric said.
The vampire bowed to his master and blurred away with the girl in his arms.
Eric made it home to his wife with just under an hour to kill before sunrise. He found his wife in bed sleeping like a baby; her hand resting peacefully on her stomach. Her mouth was slightly opened and a soft purr filled the quietness of the room. She had one arm hanging off of the bed. It was beautiful sight to him ... and funny.
Taking his phone from his pocket, he snapped a picture. He grinned as he sent the picture to Claudette with a message.
Have this made into a 24 x 36 canvas picture. You know what to do with it.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL! This is too funny! I will def get this done! OMG! This is fucking priceless! Thank you, Eric. You're the best!
Be a good girl, Claudette.
Yeah! Right! Hold your breath on that one there buddy. Oh. You're a vampire. Never mind.
As he placed his cell phone on the nightstand, Sookie woke up. She looked up at him and she had the happiest look in her eyes. "Hey you," she said as she rolled over onto her side. "Are you just getting in?"
Smiling at her, he said, "I am. How are you feeling?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "As good as expected. He's not fighting me anymore, thank goodness. I think he's tired himself out." She stroked her belly as she stared at Eric. "How was your night? Did everything go as planned?"
"It did," he said. "We have the first meeting in three nights. We are going to assign some of the new positions. We'll also be putting Bart and Sophie Ann to death. I think that we'll do that at the end of the night. I think that they should die by sunlight. They shouldn't be surrounded by their brethren when they die. They need to be surrounded by those they've hurt ... those that they've destroyed."
"Good," she said with an added nod of finality.
As he unbuttoned his shirt, he asked, "Are you going to be up for being my date?"
She smiled as she looked at him. "I'll go anywhere with you. Will it be held here or at the Vampire Museum?"
"It'll be held at The Mausoleum," he said as he slipped out of his pants and underwear. "Claudette is already taking care of the decorations and the catering. Arayleaha and Tristan are going to take care of the security. Everything is being taken care of as we speak."
"Good," she said again. "I don't want to have to deal with anything. I just want to relax and have a good time."
"That's what I want for you," he said as he crawled into bed. He wrapped her in his arms as he nuzzled her neck. "You're safe now. You and our son are safe."
She snuggled deeper into his body and said, "I've never doubted you. What do you think they're going to say when they see me?"
"Nothing," he said. "If they want to live, they will keep their opinions to themselves. As long as those around us know the truth, we won't concern ourselves with the negativity of others. This is our world now. This our chance to make it a better place; not just for us but for everyone." Holding her closer to him, he said, "We did it, Sookie."
Smiling as she closed her eyes, she said, "I love you, Eric. I love you so much."
Those sweet words were the last words that he'd heard as he died for the day.