Answer to the Master Chapter Fifty-Nine

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Master of my Destiny

The vampires spread out as they waited, refusing to let the Danann surround them. They already had the disadvantage of being in their realm; they wouldn’t let them cage them in as well. Sookie stood in the center of the field, Eric and Russell flanking her from either side. She gripped the blade Eric had provided for her tightly in her hands as she waited for Warlow to show. She knew he wouldn’t hang back and let his warriors fight in his place. Despite his less than stellar attitude, Warlow was a warrior at heart. He lived for the fight, hungered for it. He would know by now vampires had breached his realm and wouldn’t shy away from the battle. He believed himself to be the fierce and best warrior there was; it was that belief that was his greatest weakness.

Warlow arrogantly thought he was better than everyone else. He believed he was smarter, stronger, and always one-step ahead of his enemies. It was that arrogance that had led Sookie to be able to give him the run around for the last God knows how many years. She swore she must have aged, mentally and emotionally, at least a hundred years. It felt like that long to her.

When he had her kidnapped and brought to the Danann realm, he never once thought it was he who was being setup and played. He never even entertained the idea that Sookie had discovered his plan and whom the real traitors were within their midst. He never imagined that she had simply played along with his little plan. Sookie had been betrayed and kidnapped once before, so she understood that not everything was what it appeared. She had learned from what Pam had done to her, and used that knowledge to her advantage.

The minute Sookie had realized what was going on, she had set her own plan into motion. Hers was a plan she knew she would no doubt get into trouble with once everything was over, but she didn’t regret it. She had done the right thing, the only thing that could be done. The second she had identified the threat, she had sprung into action. She had told Thalia to take Jason and Susie somewhere safe where no one could reach them. She had to tell the ancient Greek vampire why, and was thankful that Thalia agreed with her and had done as ordered.

Upon arriving in Danann, Warlow had expected her to fall at his feet, to beg and plead to be let go; instead, he had gotten a smack in the mouth, a few choice insults, and a fairy-vampire that couldn’t be controlled and had actually escaped with the help of her cousin. Sookie knew she could’ve escaped the realm at any time, thanks to the gift Fintan had given her when they first met, but instead she had chosen to wait, knowing her vampires would come for her. However, she hadn’t realized it would take so long. That bit she regretted as well as the pain she had no doubt caused Eric and Russell, but she would answer to that later. Sookie had spent years running and being hunted by Warlow and his people, but she always managed to stay one-step ahead of them. She knew that while they were hunting her, they were leaving her vampires and Susie alone, giving Eric and Russell the time to come up with a plan and mount a rescue.

“Show time,” Sookie whispered as Warlow came into view. This was it. There would be no more running or hiding. It was fight or die time… Maybe even fight and die time.

“There you are, my pet,” Warlow said from across the field. There was maybe twenty feet between them, but they both knew that wouldn’t remain. “Have you finally finished running and realized your place is at my side?” he added, completely ignoring the vampires at her side. As far as he was concerned, they were unimportant and no threat to him. The left side of his face still bore Sookie’s mark. Her light had burned a scar into his face, and it was one of the few scars anyone could claim to have given him. The flesh was pinker with small pockmarks that bore into his skin.

“That’ll never happen and you know it,” Sookie replied. “I’ll never be yours. I’m Eric’s.”

“If we destroy Eric, that will no longer be an issue,” Warlow taunted.

“No!” Sookie growled, incensed at the mere thought. “I’ll kill you before you ever hurt him.”

Warlow chuckled. “That’s funny, pet. You are, I must say, impressive, but no one is that good.” He took out a small vial with a bright red liquid. “Does it call to you my sweet?” he asked, holding out the vial.

Sookie eyed the vial with caution. “No,” she replied. “Should it?”

He uncorked it, letting the smell waft towards her on the breeze. “Is it at all familiar?”

Sookie wrinkled her nose as the scent reached her. There was something about it that was familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

Warlow smirked as he saw the confusion on her face. He put the vial to his lips and drank it down. “Your Eric is delicious,” he told her.

Sookie’s eyes flashed with anger at the meaning of his words, and she tightened her grip on her blade. Having talked in length with Eric about the years she was missing, Sookie knew where that blood had come from. She knew how he had gotten it. “Claudette,” she growled.

“She was such a helpful fairy. A good lay too, though your vampire would know that, and the stasis spells she used were just right. They preserved the blood so its drinkers wouldn’t experience the high like a V-addict. No, we would only get the benefits, and knowing whose blood that was, I saved it for just the right time.”

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Sookie swore, her anger at its peak. Knowing that he was drinking Eric’s blood was like silver to her skin.

“Listen little fairy, you will be at my heel or under it and I’ll leash you if I must,” Warlow replied.

“Vampire!” Sookie snarled. “I’m a fucking vampire, you arrogant prick.”

“Of course you are, little fairy,” Warlow goaded her.

“Can we kill them already?” Ailis asked, interjecting herself into the little argument.

“Shut the fuck up, you Irish cunt, until you’re spoken to,” Warlow growled.

“Well, that’s rude,” Ailis sniffed, feigning upset.

Nathaniel snarled, flinging himself towards the closest warrior. “He always did have a short fuse,” Nora said as she watched her eldest attack.

The fight was suddenly upon them. The sound of steel on steel filled the air as the vampires went on the offensive. For too long now, they had been forced to take on a defensive role, waiting for the Danann to attack and then hoping they would be able to defend themselves adequately, but no more. They were all done waiting. One way or another, this war would end tonight.

The blood of vampire and Danann alike quickly soaked the ground as both parties battled with a fierceness neither had experienced before. There was no gracefulness about their movements, no showy blade work, just hard and brutal attacks. Neither group was willing to let up; their goals were all but the same, death and destruction.

Warlow had instructed his warriors to kill every vampire except his pet. His once desire to take some of the females as concubines was no longer a factor. As much as he would have liked to have worked out his frustration on some of their bodies, it was no longer a viable option. He would have to make do with his pet for now.

Eric used brute force as he brought his broadsword down, slicing one of the Danann’s warrior’s arms off before driving it deep into his chest, killing him. He let out a battle cry that echoed through the air as he took his first life. His bloodlust was rising as the battle raged around him, but this time he let it work for him instead of against him. He had failed Sookie once before when he let Pam hand her over to Russell, and he wouldn’t fail her again.

As Eric used his strength, Sookie used her speed, weaving around her opponent and slashing at his body with her blade. His armor was protecting him some, but her time in Danann had taught her where the armor was at its weakest and she focused her attack on those parts, reducing the hulking man to a bloody mess. She knew it wouldn’t be as easy to defeat Warlow. She had seen him fight and he was impressive, but she wouldn’t give up. She hadn’t given up when Russell had kidnapped her. She hadn’t given up when she had been raped, and she hadn’t given up when those fucking fairies had cursed her. She was a fighter, a survivor.

There was no letting up in the battle as each side threw everything they had at the other. The younger vampires were easily picked off by the unbelievable strength of the Danann. Their inexperience no match for the skill of Warlow’s warriors.

Working in tandem like they had done for centuries, Ailis and Nathaniel struck down anyone that stood in their way as they cut a bloody swath through the Danann ranks, Nathaniel’s strength worked beautifully with Ailis’ speed. They were almost unstoppable as they worked, slicing and slashing. No one survived their onslaught.

Warlow stood back and watched as the battle raged. He struck down anyone who got too close to him, but for the most part, he was content to let his warriors fight so he could observe their opponents. He watched as they fought, searching out their weakness. He was suitably impressed by the Irish cunt who had dared to interrupt him, she was more than she looked, and with the dark-skinned vampire, she was deadly. A cruel smirk lit up Warlow’s face as his eyes landed on the blonde he had heard all about… Northman’s child.

He had to admit, Eric had taught her well. She was impressive with a blade, but when it came to him, she was way out of her league.

Gripping his sword tighter, Warlow strolled casually toward Pam, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. The battle around him was insignificant as he believed he already knew the outcome. Victory. He would settle for nothing less. Raising his blade, he cut down the vampire fighting at Pam’s side with ease, separating his head from his shoulders. Warlow grinned ferally at Pam, his teeth bared as he saw the hesitation in her eyes. Like all the other vampires, she knew who he was. He was a legend among them now; the warrior that had wiped out ten states in six of the human realms months.

“I can see why Northman turned you,” Warlow said, eyeing calculatingly. “You have reasonable talent with a blade, and I also hear you were quite the whore in your human days. I’m sure Northman got quite his fill of you… until he bored of you and moved onto better things. Like Sookie…” Warlow chuckled darkly as he saw a look of anger flash across Pam’s face. It seemed his Intel was right, and the century old vampire still hated his promised. “Now, you know I speak the truth. She is better than you in every single way, and everyone thinks so. Is that not the reason you handed her over to Edgington so many years ago? You knew your Maker loved her more than you. So you gave her to Edgington hoping he would kill her.”

“I did it to protect my Maker,” Pam snarled, falling back on her old reasoning.

“Come now, pet, there is no need to lie to me,” Warlow replied, a wicked smile curling his lips. “I won’t blame you for what you did. Admit it, you wanted her to suffer. She took your place in your Maker’s heart. It was Sookie he wanted, and you hated that. Tell the truth, you wanted her to suffer; you wanted her to die painfully.”

Pam tried to deny his accusations again, but the words got stuck in her throat. For over thirteen years, she claimed she did it for Eric, to protect her Maker, and while that was true, it wasn’t the only reason. She could admit to herself, but no one else that Warlow was right. She did want Sookie to suffer, and she wanted Russell to kill her. She knew Russell would torture her before he killed her, although she never even imagined what the Weres would do to her. That she did regret. She wouldn’t have wished that on anyone, but she did want Sookie to hurt. The fairy cunt had taken her place in Eric’s affections, and she hated it. She hated that her Maker loved Sookie more than her. Pam knew even before Eric did that he loved her, that he was in love with her. She knew Eric loved her, or he did before all of that went down, but Eric had never been in love with her. He had never given her his heart or his trust blindly as he had Sookie. It had taken Pam years to earn Eric’s trust. Being his child hadn’t made him trust her; he had made her earn it. It had taken thirty years before Eric had told Pam who his Maker was and then another twenty for him to introduce her to him. But it had only taken him six weeks to tell Sookie. Oh Pam knew that part of the reason he told Sookie was because Godric had gone missing and he needed her help, but revealing who Godric was to him hadn’t been necessary. She didn’t need to know, but he had told her because of his feelings for her. From the moment Sookie had walked into Fangtasia, Eric had been besotted by her. Pam knew it would have only been a matter of time before Eric claimed her for himself, and she didn’t want that. She didn’t want a mistress, or worse still, a sister. She wanted to be the only woman in his life. His only child. Those feelings had been a part of the reason she made the deal with Russell. She had foolishly believed with Sookie out the way, things would go back to normal and she would have her Maker back to herself. How wrong she had been.

“Finally, she admits the truth, even if it’s only to herself,” Warlow continued, thoroughly enjoying himself at her expense. His little spy had told him all about Pam’s hatred of Sookie, and it was amusing to witness it firsthand. He could tell even now she still believed she did the right thing, even with admitting to herself that her reasons had not been just for her Maker as she claimed. The vampire was ruthless and he could respect that, but he could never respect her disloyalty. He could, however, use it to his advantage. “You would do anything for your Maker, even protect him from himself. That is an admirable trait and one that should be rewarded, not punished…”

Pam nodded in agreement, happy that someone finally saw that. She had done it all, almost all, for Eric. She should have been rewarded for it.

“Would you still do anything for him?” Warlow asked. “Or, are you now his obedient pet, waiting for him to crawl out from between my Sookie’s thighs to give you a pat on the head? Are you still just another vampire to him?”

A growl of anger spilled from Pam’s lips at his questions. As much as she hated to admit it, he wasn’t far off the mark. Since she had been back, Eric had all but ignored her, while the others had ordered her around like a pet. He had been too wrapped up in that fairy cunt to even pay his only child any attention. He had treated her as if she was a nobody while fawning over Sookie.

I should’ve killed the gash myself.

“Would you still do anything for him?” Warlow repeated, tempting her with the thing she wanted most. Sookie out of Eric’s life and her Maker hers again.

Before Pam had a chance to reply she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and she tumbled to the ground. Pam could feel blood dripping down her neck and she lifted her head up and stared at her attacker. White-hot fury spread through her as she saw Russell towering over her, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

“Fucking traitor,” Russell spat at Pam before throwing himself forward and attacking Warlow.

Warlow laughed as he raised his blade and blocked Russell’s attack, the thrill of the battle making his heart beat faster. Finally, he had an opponent worth fighting. He spared Pam not a second glance as he threw himself into his fight with Russell. There was no showmanship about their fight; it was hard, brutal, and ugly. They held nothing back as their blades clashed.

Russell fought with the skill of his three thousand years as he attacked the man that wanted to enslave his beloved child. He knew he had made many mistakes when it came to Sookie, and he deeply regretted them, but he loved her more than anything now, and he’d be damned if he’d let this child take her for his own. No one would ever take her against her will again.

Warlow grunted as the force of Russell’s blade coming down, forced him to back up. He had never faced anyone as strong as the ancient vampire before and it took all his skill to keep Russell from taking his head.

Pam moaned as she felt her head start to knit itself back together. She couldn’t believe Russell had attacked her. What the hell was he thinking? He’s thinking about that fairy gash, she snarled silently. Everything always came down to her. Pressing her hand to the back of her head, Pam shook away the pain and gingerly climbed to her feet. The battle was still raging and no one seemed to be paying any attention to her, much to her chagrin. The Danann weren’t even attacking her.

Turning her head, her eyes narrowed in anger as they landed on Russell. Suddenly, in Pam’s mind, everything was his fault. If he had killed Sookie when she handed him over to her, none of this would’ve happened. Anger swelled up in her and she reacted without thinking. Racing forward, she threw herself at Russell, jumping onto his back and clawing at his face.

Pam’s sudden and unexpected attack caused Russell to lose his grip on his blade and he cursed aloud as it fell from his fingers. He lifted his hand to reach behind him, intending to pull Pam off him, and separate her head from her shoulders, when a flash of movement caught his eyes. A cry of horror spilled from his lips as he saw Warlow twirl a six-foot wooden staff, and he tried desperately to avoid the blow that he knew was coming. But the bitch on his back was making it difficult as she continued to dig her nails into his face.

Warlow grinned as he saw the treacherous blonde vampire claw at Russell’s face, the stupid bitch had no idea what she was doing, too caught up in her own silly little drama. Swinging the staff around, Warlow used it to attack Russell’s legs, taking them out from under him. He could barely contain his delight as the ancient vampire fell to the ground, Pam trapped beneath him. “You would have been a worthy opponent,” he taunted before raising the staff again and driving it hard into Russell’s chest, piercing his heart and moving him back into Pam’s chest.

“NO!” Sookie screamed, feeling the hum inside that was her Maker fade away. Blood tears streamed from her eyes as she realized what it meant. He was gone. Russell was gone.

Eric felt a similar pain as Pam’s life was snuffed out, and he couldn’t help but mourn for her. He had loved her once, but her selfish behavior had overridden that. He knew he would mourn for her later, but he also knew she had more than likely brought it on herself. He had seen her talking to Warlow, but was too busy fighting one of the Danann warriors to do anything about it. He had seen Russell from the corner of his eye make his way toward them, and he’d realized there was a good chance of her dying. He could have tried to stop it, but that would have meant leaving Sookie alone, and that was something he would never do. He had made a choice, and that choice was Sookie. It would always be Sookie.

The death of her Maker was the breaking point for Sookie and she let out a soul-piercing scream as she searched for the person responsible. Her eyes blazed with fire as they landed on a crowing Warlow. Hatred like nothing she had ever felt before bubbled up inside her, and she felt her whole body come alive as her fae powers thrummed inside her. Stalking forward, she had a single goal in mind… Kill the bastard that had taken her Maker away from her. She spared the people around her no mind as she approached the arrogant Danann. She could tell from his stance he saw her as no threat, but she would show him just how wrong he was.

“Are you coming to me at last, my….” Warlow trailed off as he saw Sookie raise her hands, and before he had a chance to move he felt a searing pain spread through his body. It felt like his very blood was boiling inside him. He could hear a pain filled scream in what sounded like the distance, and he was shocked to realize it was his own. He was screaming in pain. His mate, his promised was hurting him like no one had ever before.

The vampires moved in around Sookie, watching her back as she took the fight to Warlow. They held back the Danann, preventing them from going to the aid of their leader.

Warlow’s screams were like music to her ears, and Sookie sent another blast at his body. She could smell the scent of burning flesh and she revelled in it. This was it. The end. She could stop running and finally be with Eric. A gleam of metal caught her eye and she felt her anger grow hotter as she saw Russell’s sword lying discarded on the ground. An idea popped into her head and with one final blast of fairy light at Warlow, Sookie let her power drop, danced to the side, and snatched the heavy blade up. Twirling round, she swung the blade and let out a battle cry as she felt it slice through Warlow’s neck, taking his head clean off.

While the Danann were stunned at the loss of their leader, the vampires were able to cut down the majority of them. The mercury salve did its job.

Once she was satisfied he was dead, Sookie dropped the blade and walked over to where her Maker’s bloody remains were. Blood tears stained her face as she knelt down beside them.

Eric similarly glanced at Pam, but moved behind Sookie instead, to gently touch her shoulder.

“He’s gone,” Sookie whispered dejectedly.

“I know,” Eric said. “But I assume it is how he would have wanted to die. A warrior’s death. Protecting his child.”

Sookie nodded, knowing if Russell had to die, that’s how he would have wanted to go. “I’m sorry about Pam,” she said.

“If Warlow didn’t Russell would have,” Roman told them, one arm missing, but the other wrapped around Nora. “She was going to try to sell you out again, Sookie.”

“What?” Sookie said, looking up at Roman.

“Warlow,” Roman supplied.

Rising to her feet, Sookie leaned into Eric, needing his strength and support. “Let me guess, she was gonna do it to save Eric.”

Roman nodded with a sigh. “I think it’s time for us to return home. He looked to Dermot, who was standing on the edge of the vampires. He had fought viciously as his race was known for, and did not even have a scratch.

“Take me home, Eric,” Sookie said softly as she bent down and picked Russell’s sword up. With one last glance at Pam’s remains, he wrapped his arms around Sookie once more and looked to Dermot to open the portal to take them home.

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