CHAPTER FIVE

SONNY RENTED A private jet to take rush him and Carly back to Port Charles and rescue Bobbie from Sorel‘s evil clutches. At the moment he and Carly were lounging on the couch sipping a Bloody Mary, emphasis on the blood, to calm their nerves. “Why would Sorel kidnap my mother for?” Carly wanted to know.

“He knows your my woman.” Sonny replied. Carly raised her eyebrows at him. “You’re going to have my baby. Sorel figures I’ll want to keep you happy and I’ll do whatever he wants me to do to get your mother back safely.”

“Just what does Sorel want you to do for him?” Carly asked.

“Whatever it is I’m not going to do it.” Sonny declared. “I’m sure I’ll have no problem getting Bobbie back without having to give in to his demands.”

“Tell me about Sorel.” Carly requested. “He’s a vampire like us, right?”

“He’s a vampire, yes.” Sonny replied. “But like us? No. He’s a rogue vampire. He believes in the old ways. All the people he has working for him are enslaved mortals. If he can’t enslave them by drinking their blood, he gets them hooked on drugs. The women he’s turned into prostitutes and the men he’s made into his foot soldiers. He despises all mortals and is making it his personal crusade in life to enslave them all.” He added. “None of the other vampires will touch him with a ten foot pole, and he blames me for that.”

“You’ve explained to me what Sorel does.” Carly commented. “But just what does the Brotherhood do. I know you make your money just as illegally as Sorel does. I‘d just like to know how since any children we have will join the Brotherhood when they grow up.”

“We make our money through smuggling and illegal gambling, not to mention laundering money through legitimate business fronts.” He answered. “It’s just as illegal as Sorel, as you say, but it isn’t as sordid as the stuff Sorel is into.”

“Do you make good money at gambling and smuggling?” She asked.

“We make very good money.” He answered her.

“I’d like to make some of that good money, myself.” She threw at him out of left field. “When can I become a member?”

“How about the tenth of never.” He threw back.

“Look, Sonny,” She laid down the law to him. “If you and I are ever to reach the point where we can marry in the way that our kind does, we have to share everything. I assumed that The Brotherhood was just a name for the group of united vampires. Tell me, do you have any female members of the Brotherhood?”

“Not really.” He admitted.

“You male chauvinist pig.” She spat. “You mean you only formed the male vampires into a group. What about all the other females like myself. If I had something like the Brotherhood in my life I wouldn’t have gotten in half the messes I have in my life.” She came to a decision. “Well, that’s all coming to an end. As of now the Brotherhood is going to go co-ed.”

“And why would I do something like that?” He wanted to know.

“Because if you don’t,” She threatened. “I’m going to start a group of my own called the Sisterhood and we’ll start cutting in on the Brotherhood’s action.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

“All right.” Sonny relented. “You can join the Brotherhood and I’ll open the Brotherhood up to any female vampires who want to join. But the male vampires aren’t going to like it.”

“Who knows.” She mused. “Maybe the members will realize like we have that mating with your own kind is so much more fulfilling than mating with a mortal.” She sighed in pleasure as she laid back against his chest. “It’s so nice being with someone who is just like me. I feel free to be me for the first time in my life.”

“Talking about Sorel brings up something I’ve been kind of curious about.” Sonny caressed her hair. “Have you ever enslaved a mortal?”

“A few.” She answered, suddenly ill at ease. “Have you?”

“No.” He replied. “I never needed to. I was always able to use my sexuality to get what I wanted. Besides, I only wanted someone to be with me unless they wanted to be with me.” He added. “Do I know any of the men you enslaved?”

“How do you know they were men?” She laughed.

“Sweetheart.” His voice was loaded with sex. “You wouldn’t waste your time enslaving a woman.”

“You’re right.” She smiled. “They were men and you know most of them. Tony was the first one in Port Charles that I enslaved. Then I enslaved AJ because of his witch contacts and got him to get his Aunt Tracy to free Tony from my spell. Unfortunately, enslaving AJ was a big mistake. You saw the trouble I had getting free of him.” She added. “Even though you attained a divorce from him for me, I have a bad feeling I’m still not completely rid of him. Enslaving people is just not what it‘s cracked up to be. When you‘re done with them they refuse to let you go.”

HELENA ENTERED DAMIAN’S lair in a huff. “Damian, I hope this is important.” She snapped. “You interrupted me as Faison and I were trying to breed.”

“There may not be a reason for you to breed if we don’t stop a movement that’s afoot.” Damian told her.

He immediately got her attention. “What are you talking about?

“Olivia, tell her.” Damian ordered.

“Leopold Taub is planning to kill Sonny, Carly and their unborn baby.” Olivia announced. “At first he thought about just arranging for Carly to have an accident so she’d lose the baby, but then he realized Sonny and Carly could breed again. So he decided the answer was to kill them both to make sure they can never produce a child.”

“What are we going to do about Taub?” Helena wanted to know.

“Taub is already dead.” Damian reminded her. “He’s been condemned to hell. There’s really not much we can do to stop him. After he succeeds in his plan to get rid of Sonny and Carly I can condemn him to the very depths of hell and make an example of him to quiet any further uprising against me and my plans, but by then it’ll be too late.” He added. “So, I’m leaving this up to you, Helena. If you want to be named supreme ruler over all the witches, you’ll have to protect Sonny and Carly and keep them safe from any denizens from hell who may try to harm them.”

‘DADDY, WE’VE GOT big problems.” Tracy announced as she stomped into the Quartermaine mansion. “Helena is trying to breed a child with Faison.”

“What!” Edward sputtered in dismay. “But that’s impossible. She’s too old.”

“Someone should tell Helena that.” Tracy quipped. “She determined to make sure your great grandchild doesn’t mate with the vampire child.”

“Well, it’s impossible.” Edward declared. “There’s no way she can get pregnant, right?”

“Anything is possible, Daddy.” Tracy replied. “We haven’t got this thing locked up. And that’s not the only problem we’ve got. We’ve also got some rogue demons on our hands. They want to stop Damian’s plan from succeeding so they’re planning to kill Sonny and Carly.”

“Why doesn’t Damian just do something about them.” Edward blustered. ’He’s the one who wants to turn this ancient myth into a reality.”

“That’s what he told me to tell you.” Tracy answered. “Damian is leaving it up to you and Helena to do something. I got the feeling he’s decided to make this a test to decide which witch-child will be the chosen one. Whoever stops the rogue demons will be the chosen one.”

“There is only one witch-child that I know of.” Edward snapped. “And that’s Ned and Alexis’ child. You talk like that old duck getting herself knocked up is a fait accompli.”

“My witch instincts tell me it is.” Tracy told him. “If Helena wants to get pregnant, Helena will pregnant.”

“This is all your fault.” Edward accused. “Why haven’t you told Faison he’s Ned’s father yet.”

“Because I don’t want Faison to know.” Tracy informed him. “If I didn’t tell him in all these years, don’t you think I had a good reason why. Daddy, if he learns he’s Ned’s father, he’ll try to take over everything. We’ll lose all control over this situation. I didn’t even want to sleep with him in the first place. You’re the one who set me up to it when you learned I was about to marry that mortal fop, Larry Ashton. you knew Alan wouldn’t keep your bloodline pure so it was up to me to do it by giving myself to Faison before I got married and getting pregnant by him. That he was one of the most powerful witches in the world and a child sired by him would keep your bloodline pure.”

“All that is true.” Edward declared. “Alan married Monica who has the temperament of a witch but the blood of a mortal flowing through her veins. And look what they bred together. Two half-breed nothings. “

“That’s hardly Alan or Monica’s fault.” Tracy reminded him. “You’re the one who married outside of the faith to begin with.”

“At least I didn’t marry a mortal.” Edward defended himself. “I thought it would be all right if I married an angel since they have powers of their own. Little did I know that Lila’s goodness would dilute my bloodline in Alan. Alan is only half-witch and the other half God only knows. As a result Alan’s sons are little better than mongrels. They’re not vampires, they’re not witches, they’re not mortals. They’re nothing. “

“You have got to tell Faison the truth.” Edward continued. “Helena knows Faison is Ned’s father and she’s keeping it from him because she’s afraid if he finds out he’ll turn on her and join forces with us. If Faison knows about Ned he won’t cooperate with Helena and help her breed. It’s the only way. You’ve got to tell him.”

“And I’m telling you, Daddy.” She retorted. “If we tell Faison the truth, he’ll try to take over the situation and cut us out.”

CARLY WENT OVER to the wet bar to pour herself another drink. The inside of the small refrigerator was stocked with vial of blood. She took one out and poured some of the red liquid into her glass. “Would you like another?” She asked.

“Please.” He smiled as she came towards him and handed him a glass.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Carly replied as she cuddled up next to him. “Just how are you able to keep such a large supply of blood stock-piled in your refrigerator.”

“I own my own blood bank.” Sonny informed her as he took a sip of his drink. “That’s how I managed to form the Brotherhood. Instead of having to hunt at night for mortals to feed on, I just keep the members supplied in blood.” He added. “I’m sure if the mortals knew they’d prefer to contribute opposed to being stalked and drained of their blood against their will. Not to mention that with the Spread of AIDS, picking a random mortal to feed on has become a dangerous thing for the vampire.”

“So, that’s how you managed to get the vampires to band together.” She was impressed. “I was wondering since by nature we vampires usually tend to be solitary and stick to ourselves. How did you discover a vampire possessed powers of their own and to know how to use them?”

“You’re determined to know everything about me, aren’t you?” He said not entirely pleased.

“I told you the way it has to be between us.” She told him. “If this thing has any chance of working between us we must know each other down to the bone. You don’t like this growing intimacy between us, do you?”

“I’ve always kept apart of myself to myself.” He confessed. “Even as a child I kept a part of myself from my own mother. I’ve never allowed anyone to completely know me.”

“Sonny,” She took his face tenderly into her hands. “We’re the same person. Letting me know you is just like letting you know yourself. Sonny, I am you.” She leaned down and kissed him tenderly and he responded with a growing passion for her. “Now tell me how you discovered a vampire had powers and learned how to use them.”

“You’re insatiable.” He groaned.

“Lucky for you that’s not the only thing I’m insatiable about.” She slid her hand inside his shirt and caressed him. “Now tell me what I want to know.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “When my mother told me what I was and why I was the way I was I was curious if I might have inherited any powers from my mother. So I started to experiment. I found if I concentrated hard enough that I could do certain things. I could read people. Know what they were thinking. It wasn’t long after that that I learned how to control people’s minds and get them to do what I wanted them to do.” He added. “I haven’t let the members of the Brotherhood know about this. You’re the only one I’ve revealed this to.”

“Do you think I could learn how to do it.” She asked eagerly.

“From the way you concentrated on Jason.” Sonny laughed. “I’d say you were a natural. All it takes is an ability to be able to focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else.”

“You said you’ve only tried it on mortals.” She reminded him. “Have you ever tried it on a witch or vampire?”

“No.” He admitted. “I was worried they’d be able to tell what I was trying to do and my secret would be out. Besides, whatever power a vampire possessed it’s puny in comparison to a power of a witch.”

“How do you know?” She pointed out. “You’ve never put it to the test. What if in our own way we’re just as powerful as the witches who spawned us. That‘s something to think about, isn‘t it?”

STEFAN ENTERED THE Bucket of Blood impatiently. Dimitri was waiting for him there. “I was just about to spend the evening with my chosen mate.“ Stefan told him. “This better be important. Have you learned something new?”

“Actually, “ Dimitri replied. “Everything is moving fast and furious on that front and others, as well. Your mother is trying to beat you to the punch by mating with Faison and producing her own child. The demons don’t like being ruled by Damian and think if they muck up his plan they can boot him out of power and take over the underworld themselves. To that end Leopold Taub is trying to kill Sonny and Carly. As we speak he’s moving against them.”

“How?” Stefan wanted to know.

“He piloting the private jet they’re on.” Dimitri revealed. “And he’s flying it towards the east without their knowledge so when the sun rises at dawn it’ll destroy them both. If something isn‘t done, he will succeed in killing them both.” He added. “And Sorel has kidnapped your ex-wife.”

“Barbara?” Stefan asked in dismay. “What would Sorel want with her?”

“Edward Quartermaine set him up to doing it.” Dimitri replied. “It’s some plan to get Corinthos out of the way so he can get his hands on the vampire child when it’s born.”

“This thing is getting completely out of hand.” Stefan complained.

“There’s a lot of power at stake.” Dimitri reminded him. “Your mother, Edward Quartermaine and the demons will do anything to attain it.” He added. “You of all people know of Sorel’s nature. Now that his attention has been brought to Bobbie, he’ll try to enslave her the way he’s done with so many other mortals before her. I don‘t know if you care, but I just thought you should know in case you want to intervene in this matter.”

“WHAT DO YOU think you’re doing?” Sonny asked as Carly began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Finishing what we started on the island.” She pulled his shirt wide and yanked it down his arms, before straddling his lap and pinning him to the couch. “Now you’re my prisoner and you have to do exactly what I say.”

“You don’t see me fighting you, do you?” He began nibbling at her neck. “I just have one request?”

“What is it?” She asked in curiosity.

“Can we move this over to the bed?” He suggested. “A couch isn’t the most comfortable place to do this sort of thing.”

“On one condition.” She climbed off his lap and tugged him to his feet. “You strip off all your clothes for me first.” She confessed. “That first night we were together even though we were saying some terrible things to each other after it happened I really enjoyed watching you walking around your bedroom nude.”

“On one condition.” He retorted. “You do the same thing from me when I’m done.”

In the cockpit, Taub was listening on the intercom to what was going on between Sonny and Carly. “That’s right, vampires, enjoy yourself while you can because you’re both about to die.” He smiled as he looked towards the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise.