It was clear to Lizzie that Elita could have killed Tucker's father and Sully. The fact that she had not meant that the true purpose of her visit to LonePine had yet to be revealed. As if reading her thoughts, Elita spoke.
"I could have killed them both."
Lizzie simply nodded. Elita began pacing the floor, slowly, seductively, the black satin of her tiny dress clinging softly to her swaying hips. Neither spoke. Finally, Lizzie broke the silence.
"Don't make me drag this out. Tell me why you are here."
"Julius sent me. To kill Sully."
"Julius sent you to kill, yet you have not done that. Though a killing may yet take place tonight."
Elita turned abruptly to face Lizzie, the taunts and teasing half-formed on the tip of her tongue quickly dying. There was a deep calm on Lizzie's face and Elita felt a sudden, profound fear.
"I suppose I miscalculated in telling you how to kill a Vampire."
"I'm beginning to understand a lot of things, to even accept certain aspects of this role that has been thrust upon me. But understand this, Tucker is sacred, as is anything dear to him. It would seem I have no choice but to enter this little fantasy world, but Tucker will not become a victim, no matter who I have to destroy."
She stood very close to Elita, whose startled eyes betrayed her outward composure. Elita sensed the power in her, the same power that had flashed to the surface the night of the turning, and she knew that any advantage she might have ever had was rapidly disintegrating.
"Do you understand why all this has happened?" Elita asked Lizzie.
"I understand enough and the remainder I choose to have explained to me by Lazarus, not you."
"There are some things that Lazarus cannot tell you, some things that only I know, as Julius' long-time companion."
"Lover?"
"Yes."
"Are you in love with him?"
"In the way that you are in love with that cowboy?"
Lizzie nodded in response.
"I've never been quite certain if I had him. But not knowing makes me crazy, and so I stay with him."
"I imagine that's the way love goes for most people."
"I am not people, I am a Vampire. Love is more complex for us."
"Love is simple, no matter the species. I assume ours is different only by duration."
"I thought I had found the ideal man."
"And now your ideals are changing?"
"Maybe."
"He may have only been ideal in the sense that he knew how to keep you attached to him, unlike the hundreds..."
"More like thousands," interrupted Elita.
"All right, thousands of saps who have passed through your clutches. Enough of this prattle. Why are you here?"
"Julius sent me to kill Sully, as a demonstration to Lazarus that he, in fact, can sense you, and thus you cannot escape him. He knows where you are all the time."
Lizzie's heart stopped at this news. The voices had been right. She must get to Lazarus quickly She needed protection, powerful protection.
"Why have you disobeyed Julius?"
She shrugged and tossed the cowboy hat onto the table. Lizzie took it and carefully turned it crown down, a movement she had seen Tucker repeat a thousand times. "My instinct for self-preservation is high, and as I said, my ideals are shifting. I no longer am convinced Julius will come out the winner in this war."
"War?" asked Lizzie.
"Oh, my little Queen, you know not what events you have set into motion."
Just then Tucker walked back in. He was surprised to see them calmly talking. "Honey, everything okay?"
Lizzie nodded. "Let's get started for New Mexico right away. And Tucker, I think your dad better come with us. He's not safe here anymore."
"I could be of service to you," said Elita. She paused and then added, "You are, after all, my Queen, and I am quite intimate with the ways of your King."
"Elita will be joining us but," she added, turning to face Elita, "if any harm comes to anyone by your doing, I will personally destroy you."
"I understand."
"Um, Lizzie. Could I see you outside for a minute?" On the porch, Tucker stared at Lizzie dumbfounded. "What are you thinking, asking that witch to come with us?"
"She has a tremendous amount of knowledge about Julius and his operations. The voices said to trust the dark woman. Who else could that be? Plus, I kind of like her in a strange sort of way. I was hoping we could be friends. I could use a girlfriend."
"Maybe you should pick someone a little less dangerous to go shopping with. Like Medusa. What about Sully? He'd make a great girlfriend. Or I could introduce you to whole handful of cowgirls right here in LonePine."
"I bet you could. But somehow, I'm guessing they would not be quite the type of friend I'd like. Anyway, she was only a threat as long as she was attached to Julius. She's disobeyed Julius and therefore cannot return to him. She has no place to go. Her only hope is to be accepted by Lazarus and myself, and perhaps, to then be on the winning side."
"Honey, she tried to kill Dad and Sully."
"If Elita had wanted to kill either one of them, they would be dead. That was just to prove a point to me."
"And that point would be?"
"That she could control her desire to kill, that she could go against Julius' wishes."
"But how do you know it ain't all a setup? Maybe Julius is just planting her inside so that she can spy on us?"
"I suppose that's possible."
"It's an awful big risk. She's dangerous."
"I've never really thought of her as dangerous, at least not to a Vampire. She's just a flirt."
"A flirt? You call that vicious tease a flirt?"
"Tucker, is there anything you need to tell me about you and Elita?"
Tucker stammered for an answer. Just then, Elita joined them on the porch.
"I tried to seduce him once. But he remained true to you. He's the only Adamite male that has ever refused me."
"Really?" asked Tucker, suddenly feeling quite proud of himself. Lizzie shook her head and rolled her eyes. He looked like a rooster, chest swelling with pride.
"Thank you, Lizzie," said Elita quietly.
"For what?"
"I really wasn't sure how this evening was going to turn out. I had considered that you would be furious, irrational and that we would be forced to fight."
"And if that had happened, probably Tucker and Sully and Dad would have died in the process."
"You are much smarter than I had hoped," Elita said. "Even if I had vanquished you, I would have been forced to destroy myself.
Killing Elizabeth Vaughan before the onset of her first menses would have made me a pariah in our world, accepted by none. I want to help you now. You must believe me." Her last words were directed at Tucker, who just rolled his eyes in disbelief.
"Let's get moving. I'd like to be in New Mexico as soon as possible," said Lizzie.
"C'mon, Rex, load on up," yelled Tucker as he walked toward the Land Rover. "Hey Dad, remember that vacation I always promised? Hope you got lots of ammo."
