45

The Ambush

Good morning, afternoon, and evening everyone! I'm so sorry for the delayed updates, but I have some exciting news. I am in the process of opening my own sweet shop! I have always wanted to do this. My therapist suggested that I set a goal for myself that will occupy my time and mind. I have always wanted to do this and I'm going to do it! I can't believe that I'm going to do this! I just wanted to share because I'm so excited about this new venture in my life. I can stop punching the clock and making someone else rich. I can finally be my own boss! Wish me luck!

As always, you're all so wonderful. Thank you for bearing with me, reading, reviewing, alerting and making this story and me one of your favorites. Thank you so much for your support!

'Get back here, you son of a bitch!" Bill yelled at me. "You need to tell me what the fuck is going on!"

I looked a Bill and smiled as I took to the sky.

"I'm your fucking king, you insubordinate bastard!" he yelled up at me. "I know that you fucking hear me!"

Needless to say, I did not return. I left Bill standing outside his limousine, yelling at the sky. The phone call that I'd received was quite intriguing. I couldn't wait to find out what awaited me. I flew to the wooded area just outside Bon Temps to meet Thalia and her children. The thought of going to Bon Temps surprised me a bit. I guess the girl told the truth about something during her last moments. It took me back to the night of Dawn's torture. She told Sookie that something or someone was connected to Bon Temps.

It didn't occur to me that Sookie's mom would be stupid enough to return to her hometown. Did she not believe that her betrayals would be discovered? Is she so arrogant to think that what she's done would be forgiven or accepted? It made me smile to think that the woman would believe that she's safe after what she's done. The woman is not safe. If she's alive, she'll never be safe. I will make sure of that.

Just as I landed, a sudden wave of anger and fight filled me.

Sookie.

I pulled out my phone to call her and by doing so, my car keys fell from my pocket. At that moment, I realized that Sookie didn't have the key to my home. She had nowhere else to go but to her apartment. Her parents' home isn't safe. Her grandparents have left town … or so they say. She has no choice but to go to her apartment. She didn't know what was waiting for her there. With her mom's betrayal, she could be walking into anything. Though, I was worried, I felt that I didn't have to. I know that Salome wouldn't have left her alone and she wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. Sookie has light tight rooms. If needed, Salome could stay the night. She would really have no choice. The king would have her life if she even considered leaving Sookie alone. Something beyond her control must have happened. Something that couldn't be stopped or helped. Something that has possibly made my lover kill again.

"Hey," Thalia said from behind me. Her children were standing on either side of her. "What's up?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't know. Something is going on with Sookie. Because of an error on my part, she had to go to her apartment this evening. She is with Salome, but something isn't quite right. I'm getting many emotions from her."

Thalia smiled at me. "She's strong, Eric. Though I don't know her yet, I'm quite sure that she can handle herself or whatever is happening with Salome." She stepped closer to me as she continued. "Don't doubt her. She took you to task, didn't she?"

I agreed with everything that she said, but she is my responsibility. I must keep her safe. Looking at Thalia, I said, "You can be an asshole at times, my friend, but you are right. She will be fine. I don't doubt that Sookie can take care of herself. She's a very strong woman. I have complete faith in her. I just don't like it. I don't like leaving her in that position. I don't like leaving her in the hands of others. Not when I can help her. Not when she needs me. I must go to her. You can handle what is happening here."

"No," Thalia said. "You need to be here for this." She looked at Guinevere and said, "Go."

Guinevere vanished into the night.

Thalia continued to reassure me that Sookie was fine. "Have faith, old friend. She can handle what's happening. Your woman will be safe. I give you my word." She placed her hand on my arm. 'You can trust us, Eric. We won't let you down. We will keep her safe," she repeated.

I covered her hand with mine. 'I trust you implicitly, Thalia. I always have."

"As you should." She patted my arm once before removing it.

Using my head to point in the direction of the woods, I asked, "Sookie's mom?"

Thalia shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. We haven't been able to find her, but tonight, we've found something better. You're going to love this. I know that you're concerned about your woman, but you don't want to leave, not now. You want to be here for this. We have a wonderful surprise for you. We have him. We have Maxwell. He and his human are three miles down that way," Thalia said as she pointed through the woods. "Follow me."

With that being said, Thalia, Kendra, and I were sailing through the trees. My mind should've been on what was waiting for me at the end of the tunnel, but my mind kept going back to Sookie. I couldn't help but wonder what was happening to her. I wanted to know why Salome hasn't called me to let me know what's happened, what they've had to face. I wanted to make sure Sookie was safe. And more than anything, I wanted to be with her.

"Here," Thalia said. We were soon standing by a big oak tree. "From here he can't smell us."

Looking full on at Thalia, I asked, "He's there now?"

Kendra answered. "He is. A contact of mine with the Baton Rouge Panther Pack let know that he was going to be in town tonight. His human companion is getting an award tonight with the vampire coalition. She's been doing some local work with the vampires or some shit like that. She's a big deal with the local vampires from what I've heard. He is her escort." A sly smirk played across her mouth. "He's going by his old French name. Francois Millet. Fucking coward. Too scared to use his real name."

Thalia decided to interject. "That's the only name his human knows him by. I sent Jake to her real estate agency to snoop around. He asked her out and blah, blah blah. She has a boyfriend named Francois. She told Jake everything about her man. She said that he's this big time vampire and has a huge following in the vampire community. He supposedly has this big role in the vampire community that allows him to travel the world over. He has the important relationships with the kings and queens of the supe world."

I shook my head. "Humans talk too much; especially the women, and it's more than obvious that they'll believe any lie they're told."

Thalia laughed. "Indeed. To be in the bed of a vampire is this big thing in the human world."

"I know." I agreed. Almost every human I've met a human will do and say absolutely anything to be the pet of a vampire. Some have been known to demean themselves to be in the community. They lose themselves when they're with vampires. I've never been a fan of the human race, but I've always found that to be quite sad. "What would make him think that he'd be safe in Bon Temps?" I asked.

Thalia shook her head. "I have no idea. Maybe he felt safe because of Sookie's mom. Maybe he believed that your focus would be only on finding Pam. I can't exactly tell you why he felt comfortable enough to stay in the area. He seems to be under the impression that he can't and won't be found." With a bored tone, she added, "Sookie's mom, she's been keeping tabs on her daughter and her vampire." She looked up at me from the corner of her eye. "She's told him that Sookie has not been to her apartment since her visit. I think that he's assuming that you've hidden her from prying eyes. Now you on the other hand, you're being followed." Looking around us, she said, "Needless to say, they've failed to keep you in their sights, but dear Kendra here has spread the word that you're on a quest to find Pam and no one knows where you are. Florida. Georgia. California. Maine. You could be anywhere looking for Pam. Allegedly, you're out of your mind with grief. That's why I'm here. I'm taking over while you're out doing what must be done."

As I've always said, Thalia is always on the job.

She continued. "There's also a rumor that you and your human are on a vacation together. That's supposed to be a ruse. You're really plotting and planning to get Pam back. Another rumor is that her dad has her in hiding because of what's going on. She is his daughter after all." Smiling, she said, "Those are my rumors. The other rumor is that the king has been keeping your telepath close to him."

Smiling, I said, "That rumor was spread by our dear and selfless king."

She pointed at me and said, "You got it."

I nodded at Kendra and Thalia. "Well played, old friends."

"Very," Kendra said proudly. "Though you and the woman have been hiding in plain sight, no one has seen you. That goes to show you that Maxwell and his band of stupid thugs are stupid." She shook her head in complete disgust. "Who, in their right mind, would hire him to lead anything?"

"Agreed," I replied.

Thalia added a well-known fact about our dear friend Maxwell Lee. "He's never been very bright. I, too, can't believe that anyone would want him to implement any type of plan they may have. He's the most emotional vampire I've ever met. It astounds me that he would feel comfortable enough to return to the scene of the crime."

I agreed. "He's always been a little slow on the uptake, but he could've been so much more. To me, Maxwell had the potential to be a great leader with the right guidance, but his weakness, his willingness to be misled, to be manipulated, makes him a disgrace."

Kendra stared boringly out into the night. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't interested in hearing about the shortcomings of Maxwell Lee. She wanted to get the fun and games started. "He's alone with his human. The human that's driving them to the function, he now has a tracker underneath his car. Since we plan on killing Maxwell … and we do plan on killing him tonight, we must not let them get away." She looked at the human's home again. "He can't live past tonight. He's a traitor of the worst kind. He will die tonight."

It wasn't a question.

"He will die," I assured her. "After we've gotten all that we can from him, he will meet his end."

She was finally amused. A smile broadened across her beautiful face and reached her dead eyes. "Good."

Thalia nodded. "I figured that would get a smile out of you."

She wiped the smile from her face and continued to stare at the human's house. "That was a fault on my part. That wasn't supposed to happen. Forgive me. I'm pleased that he will die."

"You never disappoint, my child," Thalia said as amusement filled her voice. To me, she said, "Kendra has been staking out the human's home. Her name is Holly Prince. She's not a part of what's going on. She believes that there is good in Maxwell. That's all she sees. She doesn't see him for the vampire that he is. I've been watching her since we got in town, and she's innocent."

I glanced at Thalia and asked, "He must love her."

Thalia nodded. "My assumption as well. She is the only human that he has had serious relations with for hundreds of years. He's always been the type of vampire that used humans for fucking and feeding. We, my children and I, believe him to be in love with her. In our world, that is unheard of." I could feel her eyes burning a hole in the side of my face. Her tone took a more serious turn. "I have a plan to make him talk, but you, Master, may not agree with it."

I knew what … or who her plan included. I let her know that I'm quite aware of her plan. "We can use his human to our advantage."

"Yes." She continued to stare at me.

I glanced at her and with a tone just as serious as hers, I said, "This has nothing to do with Sookie."

"But it does," she stated. "Will you be able to torture the girl to get Maxwell to talk? Will you be able to stand her screams if we have to make her scream?" She continued to stare at me. "Look at me, Master."

I gave her my full attention.

'May I be honest with you?"

"Always," I assured her.

She glanced over her shoulder and said, "Kendra."

Kendra blurred away but stayed within seeing distance of Maxwell's human's home.

To me, Thalia said, "You're in love with a human."

I continued to stare but didn't respond.

"Imagine someone doing to Sookie what we would do to this woman," she said. "She will be petrified of what could possibly await her. She would scream because of the pain that we will surely put her through. If she lives through it all, she will have nightmares for the remainder of her days. She will never trust another vampire … ever. I have no plans of glamoring any of what we do to her from her mind. She will have to remember what world she's in. She will be ruined forever." She stood in front of me and looked up at me. "Now imagine someone doing that to Sookie. Can you handle it?"

Being sure to stare into her eyes, I said, "I can handle it. I can handle it because there is no way that I would ever put Sookie in this type of situation. Sookie will be safe with me."

"I'm sure that Maxwell Lee told his human the exact same thing."

Frowning as I stepped closer to her, I asked, "You doubt me? You doubt that I can protect Sookie?"

Thalia's back straightened. "I do not. I'm sure that she will be safe with you. You are very strong and very brave, but since we've been here, you've been preoccupied with what could possibly be happening to Sookie even though you know that she's with Salome … one of the most vicious killers in our world. Your feelings for her, for Sookie, concern me. After tonight, if we have to do what we must do, will you be able to handle it?"

I looked at the side of Thalia's face. "What do you know?"

"Everything," Thalia answered with a smile. "I research everyone, and Sookie is no exception. I've learned wonderfully sad life. Her childhood was riddled with bullying and all because she's different, but she never let it get her down. She has three true human friends. A human called Kennedy and her grandparents."

I found that hard to believe. How could people not want to be around her? She's amazing.

Thalia had a grimace on her face. "I thought the same thing you're thinking when I heard about the ignorance of those in Bon Temps. In my opinion, they are lucky to have known her. She's a great person. She trusts easily and she's a loving soul." She smiled at the night sky. "She's had a hard life, Eric, but she's never let it get her down. She's always willing to help others with no regard to what could happen to her. It seems that her goal in life is to help others. She's going to do whatever she has to do to make sure that Pam is back with you."

That made me chuckle. "She's been talking about getting Pam back since we discovered she was taken. That is her main focus."

"That's my point," Thalia shared. "What if she puts herself in a dangerous position that she's unaware of … or you could put her in a position without meaning to? She could be tortured for something that she didn't mean to do or something that you didn't mean to do." She stared at me briefly and said, "She's going to do something that's going to cost her something … going to cost her a lot more than she's willing to give. She loves you, Eric. She may not know it or doesn't realize it, but she's going to do whatever she must to keep you and yours safe. She's done it for her father."

"What did she do for him?"

She shrugged her shoulder and said, "She captured a murderer that was killing women that had relationships with vampires. Long story short, she pretended to be dating vampires, and he took her. His other victims, he did unmentionable things to them, to their corpses. Things that I've only known for vampires to do. He was a sadistic fuck, Eric." Before I could ask what happened, Thalia continued on. "Don't worry. Nothing happened to Sookie. Her grandfather saved her before that could happen. That was the last case she ever worked for her dad."

"Her father put her up to that?" I asked. "He made Sookie meet with the man?"

Thalia shook her head no. "Her father only used his gift to further his career. He would never have asked Sookie to put herself out there like that. She did it on her own. She did it to help her father solve the case and to keep those women safe. She believed that no one should die because of who they love. As I said, she's selfless. She's always wanting to help others … never thinking of what could happen to her. That's who she is. That's who she'll always be."

And I knew that Thalia was right. Sookie was willing to die to save others. I stared at nothing and thought about what we were about to do.

The human that took her, I wanted him dead. I remembered this person, this Rene Lenier. I also know that he's dead. I'd always assumed that the cops killed him and covered it up but to know that Fintan saved Sookie's life, he did it. Though I didn't know her then, I wanted to kill him. I wanted to go back in time and hunt him down and kill him, but I wanted torture him slowly. I wanted to make him pay for even thinking that it was okay for him to touch her. I wanted him to pay for his sins against my woman. I wanted to hear his screams as they filled the basement of Fangtasia. I smiled as I thought of making him pay for what he'd thought of doing to her.

"Can you handle it?" she asked me again.

Her questioned startled me, though she'd already asked the question minutes earlier. I briefly glanced at Thalia. "We'll leave his human alone. She has nothing to do with what's about to happen."

"Yes, Master," Thalia replied. "Kendra."

Thalia's child sailed to us. "They're in the car and on their way to the function. We can take him when he's alone. Because the function is an awards show given by humans, few vampires will be there." She then frowned. "Not that we'd care if there were." She shook the shame from her mind for even considering such a thought. "Forgive me for even pretending to care. At approximately 2:00 am, Maxwell goes outside each night and looks up at the sky. He speaks to someone. We can take him then."

I recalled those nights when Maxwell would disappear for an hour. When he'd return, he'd always seem angry and hostile. It became a habit of the underlings to steer clear of him. I would try to get Maxwell to share what had upset him. I never cared, but I did consider him to be a friend. If he needed to talk, I always made myself available to him. He never made himself available to me. That was his mistake. "Come," I said before taking to the sky. "Let's do what we've come to do."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kendra used her razor to slice a perfect outline of Maxwell's hairline. When she was done, she pulled his scalp slowly from his head. She smiled as she began cutting deeper into his flesh … exposing pieces of his skull. The pain in his eyes and the sounds of his screams were wonderous. The bloody tear tracks on his face filled me with joy. I leaned before him and asked once more, "Where is my child?"

He closed his eyes briefly as his blood trickled over his forehead. He seemed to have the need to catch an unnecessary breath before speaking. Looking at me, he replied, "You will never see her again if something happens to me. Pam will die where she is, and I promise you, Eric. You will feel it." A slight gleam appeared in his eyes.

I stood upright and nodded. I figured that it would take a bit more to get Maxwell Lee to tell us what we needed to know. He is known for being able to withstand the worst that the vampire world has to offer. He may be of weak mind, but he's one of very strong spirit. Always has been. I stepped back and said, "Again."

Kendra went to work on him. She sliced and she cut. She removed some pieces that were vital to Maxwell's well-being and very long life. She moved with such wonderful precision. She made sure to keep the blood flow at a minimum by burning some of wounds closed. She glanced at Thalia and me and said, "We don't want him bleeding out before we get what we want." She gave a curt nod and went back to perfecting her greatest art.

Thalia smiled proudly as she watched her child. "Her past life as a surgeon has always been quite handy in situations such as these. She makes me very proud."

"You should be," I replied. "She's quite impressive."

Kendra's back straightened as she basked in the compliments that she was given.

Thalia and I admired Kendra's work just a few moments more. We could've been watching her for seconds, minutes, or hours. I'm not quite sure how long we watched. It was quite fascinating. I hated to see it come to an end … if it did. "Enough," I whispered.

Kendra removed the vice from Maxwell's finger, along with his fingernail, and stepped to the side. She noticed that he seemed to relax a bit when she moved away from him. "Don't get too comfortable, Traitor. It's not over."

He eyed her with contempt. "When this is over, I'm going to kill you first."

Kendra smiled. "I'll be right here."

Thalia laughed.

Maxwell hung his head and waited for the vengeance to continue.

I fanned off his comments. "You won't get the chance to kill anyone because tonight, you will die right here in this room. This is your fate for betraying me and mine. You will not leave this room alive. You have but two options. One, you will tell us where Pam is, and you will die quickly. Two, you will tell us where Pam is, and you will die painfully and slowly. There are no other options for you. If you expect this to end with no more pain, you must tell us what we need to know." I leaned closer to him and repeated, "Where is my child?"

Maxwell lifted his head slowly and looked in my eyes. With his face barely hanging on, it looked quite creepy to see what was supposed to be a smile. "We can do this all night. I have all night. You can cut off every inch of me and I will tell you nothing. I will die knowing where your child is. It will please me to know that you will never, ever find her if you kill me. The bloody glob that will be Pam will never be found. So, do what you must. I don't fear death, Northman. I've never feared death."

I could see the truth of his statement in his eyes. He planned on dying, and he didn't care. He didn't care that centuries of his life would soon end. He was determined to make me suffer for whatever wrong he felt I did to him. That is why I had to take the necessary precautions. I had no choice but to do what is necessary. I had to have a change of heart to get what I wanted from my enemy. In the meantime, I needed to know why Maxwell wanted revenge against me. "Why?"

"You've taken everything from me," he answered. "You ruined my life."

I had no earthly idea what he meant. My face expressed my confusion.

He laughed. "You don't even have the decency to remember her."

I looked at Thalia as she looked at me. She began to laugh. "You've killed yourself for a woman? Are you fucking kidding me? A fucking woman has caused you to betray hundreds of years of friendships and loyalty?" She picked up the razor and slashed Maxwell across the chest.

"You fucking whore!" he screamed out in agony.

She did not let the insult go unnoticed. She sliced him again. As the gaping wounds bled, she said, "You're a fucking joke."

I have been with many, many women. No one particular woman from my past stands out to me, and I let him know that. "I have been well known with many women. They have given up their very love of the day, of the sun … the love of their friends and families to be with me. I am assuming that you are well aware of that. You were there." I pretended to not know why those women wanted me. It provided me the chance to brag on some of my best qualities. "I don't know why they were so enamored of me, but let us guess, shall we? It could be my good looks. My massive cock. My charming personality. My massive cock. My incendiary wit. It could also be my massive cock. My heavy wallet and vast wealth. My massive cock. My amazing ability to please them with just a whisper of my voice. The slightest brush of my tongue against her quivering clit. My massive cock giving them pleasure they've never known. I'm sure if your misfortune were here, she could clearly give us a reason why she wanted me. I would think that my massive cock would be one of the reasons."

Thalia laughed uncontrollably.

I was amused that she was amused, but I remained calm. "I am serious, Thalia. I am at a loss. I haven't a clue as to which woman you are referring to, old friend. What woman did you lose to me?" I made sure to word the statement in way that would make Maxwell feel even worse about himself. "Tell me. Which woman did I ruin for you?"

Maxwell's eyes were filled with anger and hate. "You call her a misfortune? Did she mean nothing to you?"

It didn't go unnoticed that he ignored some of my greatest attributes.

"Obviously," Kendra answered. "He doesn't even remember fucking her … let alone her name."

Thalia and I were amused. Maxwell was not. "Do you think that this is a fucking joke? Destroying my life is funny to you? She was everything to me!"

I lifted my hand as to stop the laughter that was occurring next to me. "Who was she?"

"My wife," he whispered.

I had no idea that Maxwell was ever married, and I had absolutely no idea that I'd taken her as one of my lovers. "Who was she?"

"Does it matter?" he asked. "You won't remember her name. You won't remember what she looks like. It won't make a difference to you, but it will always matter to me." He glared at me as he spoke. "You met her in a small, provincial village in France. She was the most beautiful woman there. Annecy. We lived and loved in Annecy."

A flash of memory entered my mind. "Odila." I looked at Thalia and said, "Annecy is a beautiful city. We must go there one day. You'll love it."

"That would be fascinating," she answered with a smile.

Maxwell ignored our banter. He was still on the subject of his wife. "Odila." His eyes softened at the sound of her name. "She was my life." He rambled on and on about his human life with her and how much she meant to him. Things that I didn't care to hear.

Odila. I remembered her. She was quite enticing. She was a small woman of twenty when I met her. She was very intelligent. She owned a little medicine shop that she built and started on her own. For those times, it was unheard of for a woman to be run her own business that wasn't dealing in the selling of flesh. She had such spunk and charm. She was fearless and had a grand sense of humor. She was great to be with, but alas, she was something I used to occupy my time. She wanted more out of our relationship. She wanted to be my one and only. She wanted everything and anything from me. She wanted to be turned because she wanted eternity with me. She wanted us to spend the rest of our nights exploring our bodies, loving one another, and travelling the world. She wanted it all. She wanted more than I was willing to give. I did not love her; therefore, I couldn't give her what she wanted.

"You destroyed her," Maxwell ended.

"I did," I agreed.

"She is dead because of you."

"No," I countered.

He stared at me in disbelief. "No? Did you say?"

"Yes."

For the first time, Kendra giggled.

"She died because of you."

"No," I repeated. "From my understanding, she ended her life because I had nothing more to give her. I couldn't give her what she wanted. I did not love her enough to turn her." I remembered the many wonderful things the woman did for me. She saved my very life once. Any man or vampire would have been lucky to have her but not me. She was an amazing woman, but I didn't love her. I didn't want to keep her for eternity.

"But I did," he yelled.

"You should've given her what she wanted," I stated. "You obviously knew that she was into vampires. You had a history with her. And if memory serves me correctly, she knew of you. She accompanied me on several outings, and you, old friend, would be at quite a few of those outings. You talked with her when she would be at my side." A menacing smile appeared on my face. "And from what I remember, she never once mentioned knowing you, much less loving you. Did she not want you anymore?"

The sad look in his eyes gave me the answer I wanted.

"She did not." My smile broadened.

Growling, he said, "She was my wife."

"Was," I reiterated. "She belonged to me."

"But you didn't want her for eternity," he whispered.

"I did not, and I take it that she didn't want you for eternity."

He closed his eye briefly before answering. "I asked. When I found her crying where you left her, I asked. I asked if she wanted to be my wife again. I asked her if she could ever love me as she did when I was human." His eyes filled with sadness as he remembered that night. "She looked puzzled when I said those things to her. She almost looked surprised. She said that she never loved me. She said that our marriage was no more than an arrangement. She said that she was beyond the stars and moon when I didn't return home. She said that with me gone, she had the opportunity to do what she wanted to do. She was free. She was happy. She laughed at me. She laughed at the very idea of spending eternity with me." He looked down at the floor as he replayed that night in his mind.

I frowned as I looked at Thalia.

Thalia returned the look. "We are both stunned. If she wanted nothing to do with you in your human life, how is it Eric's fault that she wanted nothing to do with you when you're a vampire? Maybe it's you."

"He must have a small cock," Kendra deduced. "Small cocks are never appealing; especially on vampires. We have long lives, so our vampires should have long, strong cocks. They should be able to please us at a moment's notice. Small cocks can't do that." She stared at Maxwell and said, "He looks like he'd have a small cock. We'll find out soon enough. I'll turn my attentions to that once we start again."

Thalia chuckled as she laughed at her child's comment. "Answer my question, Maxwell. How is it Eric's fault?"

"I had to kill her," he answered. "She didn't want me, so I had to kill her. Because of you, I had to kill her. You did this. If you had never met her, she would have loved me. She would've wanted to spend eternity with me."

"You betrayed Eric for a woman that never loved you?" Kendra asked. "She didn't love you as a human, and you blame Eric for this." She looked pitifully at Maxwell. "How sad."

Thalia and I only stared at him. There was nothing to say. This was his doing, and I refused to acknowledge his stupidity with a comment. Thalia spoke up instead. "Have you loved since your wife? Has anyone in your life ever made you feel as your wife made you feel during your human life? Is there anyone that has given you the love that you so desperately need?"

"No," he replied quickly. A little too quickly if I'm to be honest.

"Are you sure?" Thalia asked.

He was no longer looking somber or put upon. He was on alert. He began to look around the room. "Why are you asking me this?"

Thalia was about to speak again, but I stopped her. "I don't care about you or your feelings, Maxwell. I want my child. You have the means to give her back to me. I think that it will be in your best interests to do so."

Maxwell had a frantic look on his face. He began to move back and forth in his seat. The silver was burning deeper into his flesh and he didn't seem to notice. "What you have done?"

I closed my eyes and inhaled. "I didn't want to do this. I put myself in your position and thought that I couldn't do this, but I've since come to realize that I can and I will do whatever I must to have my child back with me." I opened my eyes and looked at him. "I'll ask you once more, and I'll not ask again. Where is Pam?"

His mouth opened and closed like a dying fish. Nothing coming out.

"Kendra."

Within seconds, she brought Holly into the room. The woman was strapped to a wooden board, naked and crying. She cried even harder when she saw Maxwell. She began to fight to get to him. Maxwell remained calm, but his discomfort was obvious. "You know no bounds, do you?"

I shook my head no. "I want Pam."

Staring at Holly, he asked, "What about Sookie? What if someone did this to Sookie?"

I nodded. "I would hate it. I wouldn't want anyone to do anything to hurt her but unlike you, I wouldn't put her in this position. I would do whatever is needed to keep her safe."

Maxwell began to laugh. "But you have put her in that position."

I stood there and waited for an explanation.

"She's a telepath and she's working for a vampire," Maxwell said. "Long Shadow told everyone in our circle what she is and what you did for her the first night you met her. You included her in our first meeting to discuss protecting Pam. We know what she means to you. We know that you will do anything to keep her safe. We know that we can use her to get to you. I know that you wouldn't want that happen. Work with me, Eric. I'll give you something, but you must let Holly go." He stared lovingly at her. "Please."

I crossed my arms over my chest and thought of Maxwell's word but not for long. "I understand that you want to keep your woman safe. I can see that you love her. It's quite obvious." I pointed at Holly and said, "I didn't want to use her. I even discussed it with Thalia."

"He did." She agreed.

I continued "The problem is that I made a mistake. If I am to get what I want from you, I have to you hurt what you love to get back what I love. I know from experience that you have and would do it to me. I love Pam and I adore Sookie. I know that I have many enemies, but I also have just as many loyal friends on my side." I looked at Holly and said, "I am sorry to do this to you, but your vampire lover has taken someone from me that I love dearly, and I want her back with me. If hurting you is going to get me what I want, I must hurt you."

The woman began to sob. "Maxwell, please. Give him what he wants."

"Listen to your woman," I encouraged. "I won't ask you again."

Maxwell looked forlorn and lost. He seemed to not know what to do. He decided to try and talk his way out of what he'd done. "I do love her. You don't have to hurt her. I don't want anything to happen to Holly. We can do this without involving our women. Please, let her go."

"I cannot."

Thalia looked at her child and said, "Kendra."

With a smile on her face, she walked towards Holly with her knife in hand.