41

Nothing Ever Really Changes

Hello, everyone. I know that it's been a while and for that I am sorry. I've gotten a promotion at work, and it's been getting harder to update as often as I'd like. Thankfully, I still have the wonderful Nachelle to help me get this to y'all in a somewhat timely manner. Anyway, I want to thank each of you for reading, reviewing, making this story and me a favorite. The story idea belongs to me but the wonderful and amazing characters belong to Charlaine Harris. As always, enjoy.

I couldn't believe who I was seeing. The creature that had made the lives of those that I love more than anyone or anything in this world pure hell and torture was standing before me. He looked exactly the same. He had the same scars on his face. Just as always, his eyes were as dead as ever. He oozed arrogance, anger, and hatred. Nothing about him had changed. Even in death, he hasn't found peace. I could see the same monster that sold me off to another monster that did horrid things to me as he, my father, watched. My father, the man that I hate more than anyone or anything in this world, was here. In a sense, he was still alive. "You're supposed to be dead." I glared at him as he smiled at me. "You're supposed to be nothing more than a rotting corpse. You're not supposed to be here. Eric said that …"

"What was he supposed to say?" Appius asked as he cut me off. With a wave of his hand, his smile broadened. "He's always believed me to be dead, just as you did. Being a vampire made it easy for me to hide … changing my name from city to city, never staying in the same place too long. I was always on the move. I made sure to never cross paths with him, but I always made sure to keep tabs on him." He sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'd hoped that he'd have died many, many years ago but, alas, he did not." He shook his head in disappointment. "I've always hated that boy. I should've killed him when your mother shit him out." He had the audacity to look sickened at the fact that Eric is still among the living, or undead, I should say.

Though I've always known that he's felt that way, it still hurts me to hear him say such things about Eric. "He's your son," I reminded him.

Appius sat in the seat that Maxwell had not too long ago vacated. He crossed his legs and leaned back. He placed his hands on his knee. "Let us correct that statement. He's my disappointment, the very bane of my existence. That's all your beloved brother has ever been to me. I'd always wanted a son, but the one that was sent to me was less than what I deserved. I deserved better."

"He deserved better," I growled at him. I stood close to the cell bars; the heat from the silver radiated against my skin. "You should realize how lucky you were to have a son like Eric. He is greatly admired and respected by those in the supe world. Your jealously of him is showing, Appius. I'm pretty sure … no. I'm fucking certain that you've heard of how others revere him. Why else would you return? You're here to take what you haven't earned." The look that he gave me caused me to step away from the bars. I've been on the receiving end of Appius' wrath. It is nothing that I'd like to have happen again.

He smiled as he relaxed even more in his chair. He lifted his hand and responded, "Never fear, my dear, I have no intentions of hurting you. I didn't take you to cause you harm or to kill you. That is not what I want to do. I meant it when I said you won't be hurt by anyone here and that includes me. If any more harm is caused to you, they will pay for their slight. Maxwell Lee knows this first hand. Never fear, you will not be harmed." He winked at me. "I always keep my word."

That made me laugh. "Bullshit."

That caused a short chuckle to escape him. "How so, my dear?"

"You never keep your word," I said as I shook my head. "You've never kept your word. You promised Mother that she could keep me, but you stole me away from her in the middle of the night like a fucking coward." I glared at him.

He agreed. "You are right. I did take you from your mother." He pointed at me and said, "That cannot be denied. When I took you, that poor woman was devastated. I fear that it almost pushed her over the very edge, but you are wrong about one thing, Pamela."

This time I chuckled. "Please enlighten me."

"She did get to keep you," he replied. "I never said that she would be able to keep you forever. So, I did keep my word. You just don't agree with the length of time you were allowed to stay in our home."

"Asshole," I said.

He laughed outright. He placed his hand to his chest and said, "Well, I never!"

"I hate you, Appius."

He was still laughing.

I've never hated one being more than I hate Appius. "You're extraordinarily cruel for no reason. You took great pleasure in hurting your family. You'd hurt us for entertainment. Being cruel was a hobby for you. You couldn't be like the other men in the village. You couldn't take up hunting or fishing to relax. You had to torture your family and your subjects. You tormented your family … the people that you were supposed to love and protect. So, when you say that you won't hurt me, I don't believe you because that's who you are. That's what you do. People don't change."

Appius agreed. "Nothing ever really changes, does it?"

"No," I agreed. "Not when it comes to you."

He stared at me for a moment. Saying nothing, just staring at me. He seemed to be considering what I'd said but with Appius, one never knows what he's considering. "I have been an awful person, Pamela. As far as you're concerned, what I say means nothing. To you, I've never kept my word and that's fair. I don't blame you for feeling as you do. You have absolutely no reason to believe anything that I say to you and as far as fathers and husbands go," he said as he shook his head, "you're right. I was a shitty father and husband. I did take pleasure in hurting my family. It pleased me to abuse and humiliate each of you. I don't know why." He chuckled. "I honestly don't know why I do the things I do. I've never known why."

Though I've always known what he said was true, it surprised me to hear him speak the truth. Appius has never been a truthful person, but to hear him admit it was shocking. It gave me the open door that I needed. "We were your family. You were our father, our mother's husband. You were supposed to love us, take care of us, and protect us. You did none of that. You only made our lives worse." I sat on the bed as I looked at him. "When I was a little girl, I used to want to follow you and Eric everywhere, but neither of you would ever let that happen. I never understood why." I stared out at nothing. "I used to believe that you were the epitome of what a father should be until the day I walked into the barn." I closed my eyes and dropped my head. "I was five when I finally saw you for the monster that you are. You were doing horrible things to my brother. You were expecting him to scream out … to cry, but he didn't do that." I shook my head in the hopes that the memory would leave me. "He remained strong. He's always remained strong."

"Yes, I remember that day." I could hear the smile in his fucking voice. When I opened my eyes and looked at him, he was smiling. That sick fucker was actually smiling. So, I did what I do best. I returned his smile and sauntered back to the bars and stared him down. "You wanted to break him, but you couldn't do it. He was defiant and remarkably strong, stronger than you ever believed him to be. He never cried out. He never flinched. He showed you that he was a stronger man than you'd ever be, a better man than you'd ever be."

Just like that, I saw it. I saw what he never wanted me or anyone else to see. "You were broken," I whispered. "You hate him because you were broken when he was not. Everything that you'd done to him had been done to you, and you couldn't take it. You gave in to your tormentors." My mouth fell open from surprise. "You really are as weak as we've always believed you to be."

Anger flared in his eyes, but he didn't move. He didn't respond.

My back straightened as I relished in my revelation. "You knew that he was stronger and better than you would ever be and it terrified you. My brother, my maker, had the love and respect of your subjects ... something that you never had, not even in death." I closed my eyes as I was suddenly filled with love and calmness. I felt my brother's blood flowing through my veins … his happiness and joy. I could feel that he has Sookie now. She is his and he is hers. I continued to smile at Appius as I opened my eyes. "My brother has the loyalty of others because of what you did to him. It made him stronger and even more honorable. That's why the villagers fought with him … for him. That's why they died for him. Do you want to know what they did when they learned that you'd been killed?"

Ever so slightly, he tilted his head forward.

"They cheered in the streets," I said. "Eric said that they had a huge party when they'd learned that you were dead. They were happy because you were finally dead. They were free of your tyrannical ways." I smiled proudly as I talked of our people. "Under our uncle's rule, the countryside flourished, our people flourished. They were finally able to prosper. They could feed and clothe their families. They could live without fear of punishment and death. My brother, your son; he was able to do what you never could."

Though his face was emotionless, his eyes were angry. The anger that rolled off him was thunderous. His power was extraordinary. I was terrified of what he could do to me, but I never let him know it. I was just as defiant as ever. He needed to see that I was not the little girl that he'd sold to the highest bidder. "Regardless of what you do, you will never measure up to him."

His smile terrified me. "You're right. Your brother turned our village into a prosperous land of opportunity. I hate to admit it, but Eric was always an extraordinary young man. He had such great potential. I'm more than sure that if given the chance, he would have expanded our kingdom as far as the seas."

A jolt of surprise hit me. I couldn't believe that Appius was giving Eric a compliment. In all my years with the family, he never had anything nice to say about him. Everything was always an insult. He was too soft, too weak, and cared too much about those that didn't matter. Everything good about my brother, Appius saw as an imperfection. They were his worst qualities. "Then why?" I asked.

His smile was now a smirk. "Why not?"

"Because you were his father, my father."

"So?" His smirk was somehow nastier.

I stood impossibly closer to the bars. "The things that you did to him, no father would ever do to his son." In a softer voice, I added, "The things that you did to me, to mother. Your cruelty knew no bounds. You raped us, tortured us, humiliated us … and all because you could?" I nodded the answer to my question. "I get it now. I get why I'm here. You took me because you think that Eric will break and give you whatever it is that you want. You think that keeping me tethered to you will give you control of him."

Appius nodded slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I used to believe that," he said. "I used to think that by taking you, I could control him. I could have but I feel that I was wrong in taking you. I should've waited a little longer and taken the human."

Images of Sookie filled my mind. I smiled as I thought of the sweet innocent girl that first entered Fangtasia. Her gumption and her spunk. Her verve for life and the unknown. The way she walked into our lives without an ounce of fear. The girl that walked into that bar is now a part of a world that she can never get out of. I almost pitied her.

Almost.

Sookie's going to be just fine in this world. She's a force to be reckoned with. She will earn her place in this world, and she will make it. I glared at Appius, not even he will destroy her. He thought Eric was strong? He hasn't met Sookie Stackhouse yet. The clearing of Appius' throat interrupted my thoughts.

"Are you with me?"

I looked around my cell and asked, "Really?"

"Fair," he replied. He folded his hands and placed them on his lap. "I hear that the girl is a telepath. Before poor Long Shadow met his demise, he told several high-ranking vampires that Eric's new plaything works for him. He even told them about how Eric protected the girl from a man that attacked her." He began to kick his foot back and forth. "I find that to be quite strange considering she's never had his blood." He glanced up at me and asked, "Or has she?"

Once again, I looked around me. "I wouldn't know that, Appius. I'm in here."

He waggled his finger at me. "I don't believe you, but what can I do? You possibly don't know. He could have bonded with her after you were taken. I'll give you that one."

"Thank you, oh great and wonderful Oz. Your words have provided me the comfort and acknowledgement that I so desperately need from you. I can now die a happy vampiress." I bowed and began blowing middle finger kisses to him.

"Ha, ha," he said before continuing. "If I'd waited, I would know for certain what the girl means to him. I heard that he's gotten the help of the king in his quest to find you. I'm sure the king will do what he can to take the girl, which will make it harder for me to get to her." He shook his head in disappointment. "He has too many guards. Someone's always watching and sadly, I have no spies in the king's court."

"I don't care," I said.

He ignored me. "I've heard that your brother is quite smitten with her." He leaned forward in his seat and asked, "What is she? What is this girl … this Sookie Stackhouse?"

I frowned at him as I stood tall … playing the role of the outsider. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," he replied. "What is she?"

"She's human," I answered. I shrugged my shoulders and asked, "She's not affiliated with any particular supes. She's always been in the human world. From what we've learned of her, her parents are human. From what we know and from what she's shared with us, she's only met us … vampires. Along with the shifter, Sam Merlotte. What else would she be?" My frown deepened as I amped up my role as the curious vampire. "What do you know about her?"

He must have believed me because he tried to blow me off. "Nothing much, no more than you know. I know that her family has all but vanished from that quaint, little town they reside in. Renard Parrish, is it?"

I shook my head no. I knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to know if I would lie. "No," I answered. "She comes from Bon Temps."

"Ah, yes," he said as if he'd suddenly remembered. "Bon Temps. All quaint, little towns look the same to me. Tell me," he began. "Do you know where they've gone?"

"I'm in a fucking cell, Appius!" I yelled at him. "How in the fuck am I supposed to know where they are? You took me! You're holding me captive! I'm a fucking kidnap victim, and you're asking me to answer questions that I don't have the answers to! I don't know her family! I've never met them! We don't plan vacations together, and we don't have dinner on Sundays! I don't know where they are! I don't know what she is! I don't know if she's bonded to Eric! I don't fucking know! I am here with you!"

"No need to get all testy," Appius said. "I was just asking."

"I can't tell you anything that I don't know."

He nodded as he glanced at me. "I've heard of her mother. A delightful woman. She seems to really love her daughter. From what I've learned, the girl has cut all ties with her." He lifted his hand and said, "I know that you don't know. You've been kidnapped."

"Exactly," I said as I returned to the bed to lie down. I propped myself up on the pillows and thought of what I'd learned. Appius has been looking for Sookie's family. I'm not sure if he knows that she's part fae, but he could already know and he's trying to get info out of me. I don't know if her mom is aware of what Sookie's bloodline is. Maybe her mom doesn't know because they don't trust her enough to tell her and obviously they were right not to trust her. Apparently, she's betrayed her daughter for whatever it is that Appius has offered her. That stupid woman has no idea who she's dealing with, but she'll learn soon enough.

"What do you know, Pamela?" he asked as he watched me intently.

"Absolutely nothing," I answered. "You took me before I got a chance to know the girl. I know nothing of her family or her friends, but I'm almost certain that if the king is involved, you can get whatever information you need from him." I smiled because I knew very well that Bill would tell Appius nothing. He would let nothing or no one get in the way of something that he could possibly try to claim as his own. He's a king for goodness sakes.

He sighed. "Sadly, I think that you're telling the truth. My spies have told me that things have intensified with Eric and the girl since you've been gone." He shook his head in disappointment. "I acted too soon."

Curiosity got the better of me and I had to know. "What did you offer her mom to make her betray her daughter? Power … money … status? What did you promise that you're never going to deliver?"

"It hurts my feelings that you doubt everything that I do and say." He almost looked hurt. "No matter what I say, you're not going to believe me, so does it really matter?"

"It does not, and Maxwell," I asked. "What does he want?"

Appius rolled his eyes. "Revenge for a fucking woman that he lost to Eric centuries ago. Some French broad he wanted to claim as his own Odlia, but she went by Julia. She was supposedly the love of his life. Can you believe it? He's pining over a woman that never wanted him. A fucking human," he said. "The rumor is that she killed herself to keep Eric safe. Some townspeople found out what he was and her friend warned her that they were coming. She helped him escape. She covered him with several furs to keep the sun from burning him. She dragged him out in the sunlight and buried him deep in the woods out beyond her home. They captured her and had planned on torturing her to find out where the monster was hidden. They were going to use her against him, but she had other plans. She ended it all before they could get anything out of her." He waved his hand as to fan off the story. "The real truth is that Maxwell killed her because she didn't want him after he tried to get her back. She wanted Eric to turn her, but he wouldn't do that. He didn't want her for eternity." He smiled. "I guess he's saving that for the telepath."

He shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal. "From what I've been told, Maxwell never got over the fact that his wife never loved him or some bullshit like that." This time, he shook his head; disdain and disgust clearly in his voice.

I was surprised by this sad tale of how Maxwell has let a long dead human decide his fate. I'm also surprised that I've never heard of her. Eric has never told me about this woman. He's never mentioned her to me. "I didn't know."

"Why would you?" he asked. "It's a story of shame." He then stood up from his seat and walked towards my cell. He reached into his pocket and removed the key. I quickly stood up from the bed and stared at him. "Why are you coming in here?" I demanded.

He waved his hand at me. "Not for what you think," he assured me. "I haven't slept with a woman since your mother. You have nothing I want. As I said previously, you don't have to fear me. I told you that I'm not here to harm you and I'm not. I'm here to take what's Eric's, and since I don't have the girl with me just yet, you'll have to do."

When the lock clicked, my body tensed. It was close to impossible to hide my fear. "What do you mean?"

He smiled as he pulled the door open with his bare hand. "I'm going to make you mine." His fangs were in full view as he walked towards me.