Part 17
"Hey, are you Elisabetta?"
Elisabetta turned at the sound of her name. She eyed the tall muscular boy with curly black hair. She had had the uncanny sense of being followed. Orion, of course had told her she was being paranoid. So far she wasn't doing too well on the make-Garret-hers-again thing. She'd only go along with Orion's killing him plan if there was nothing else left to do.
"Yeah." She folded her arms, facing him boldly, showing him she refused to be intimidated. "And you are...?"
"Twig. Listen, I have a proposition for you and your buddy Orion. How'd you like to hook up with the top vampire in town?"
Elisabetta looked around the deserted town streets, the wide-open fields stretching to the horizon. The idea of 'top vampire in town' was almost laughable. "How the hell'd you get a decent number of Night People in Smallville?"
Twig looked insulted. "We are *not* Smallville!"
"And why am I guessing this has something to do with joining forces to get this Wild Power here in town?"
"She's more than a Wild Power."
Elisabetta frowned. Orion had said the girl was supposed to be the Dragon Princess, but she still refused to believe it. They had to kill Sati Meyer just to be sure, anyway. "I know that. What else you got?"
Twig grabbed her arm and pulled her to an ordinary-looking Ford sedan parked at the side of the road. "Just shut up and come." She was a little disappointed he wasn't taking her off in a limo. It was what she expected after meeting top city vampires. They all seemed to be incredibly rich.
Twig glanced over at her. "What were you expecting? A pick up truck?"
"A limo, actually." The house they were arriving at was no mansion. Just an ordinary house that would be on any suburban street, anywhere. Two storeys, perhaps slightly bigger than some of the ones they'd passed. She guessed in a small town they had to be a little more discreet.
She followed Twig inside, not sure what she was expecting, certainly not the gorgeous strawberry blonde who appeared in the living room. "Oh *God*!" she muttered, shaking her head.
"Hello to you too," Pythia said.
Elisabetta scowled. No doubt if Pythia was here then she would be after Garret as well. She had refused the whole threesome thing back then and wasn't going to go for it now. "Whatever you want the answer is no," she said bluntly.
"Garret's already bringing the Wild Power to me," Pythia said smugly.
"Garret's a *Daybreaker*," Elisabetta snorted. She kept her distance from Pythia, and her tone cold. She didn't like this woman.
"I have something of his."
Elisabetta frowned. Garret had a new girlfriend? That didn't really surprise her. He had already been a ladies vampire. So Pythia was blackmailing him. That didn't surprise her either. What did she want her and Orion for if she already had her bargain?
"We don't have her anymore." A small girl with short brown hair appeared in the doorway.
"This is Lilah, she's one of my spies. That's Elisabetta. She's a made vampire."
"I thought she was a Blackthorn," Lilah said.
Elisabetta shrugged. "I was made by a Redfern vampire, but the Redferns pissed me off, so I changed to working for the Blackthorns."
"What'd you mean we don't have her anymore?" Pythia said, turning to Lilah, glaring.
Lilah sighed. "She escaped."
"You fucked up!" Pythia snapped. She threw her hands up in the air. Obviously something had blown Lilah's cover as a spy. Now Garret wasn't going to bring Pythia the Wild Power. She tried not to smirk *too* much.
"Well if I said it was nice to see you again, I'd just be lying," Elisabetta said, and turned to go, only to be stopped by Orion and a black haired girl. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.
Orion shrugged. "Jewel said she'd hook me up with the head vampire in town." He gave Pythia one of his most dazzling smiles.
Elisabetta sighed. "Hook up with that bitch and I'll report you to the council."
"Oh grow up!" Pythia snorted. "So big of you, running telling tales."
It took every ounce of Elisabetta's strength not to hit her. She knew from past experience it would be a very foolish thing to do.
"We have a situation," Pythia said. "Dido has escaped and Lilah's cover has been blown."
"Doesn't matter," the black-haired girl called Jewel said. "We've got something else." She took Pythia's arm and lead her to the basement. Elisabetta followed with everyone else. There was a small blonde in what looked like a new set of silver chains on the wall. Pythia always did love to have a dark dank room with chains and a hostage to play with.
"Say hello to Star. The Wild Power's sister."
* * *
"Hey, are you Elisabetta?"
Elisabetta turned at the sound of her name. She eyed the tall muscular boy with curly black hair. She had had the uncanny sense of being followed. Orion, of course had told her she was being paranoid. So far she wasn't doing too well on the make-Garret-hers-again thing. She'd only go along with Orion's killing him plan if there was nothing else left to do.
"Yeah." She folded her arms, facing him boldly, showing him she refused to be intimidated. "And you are...?"
"Twig. Listen, I have a proposition for you and your buddy Orion. How'd you like to hook up with the top vampire in town?"
Elisabetta looked around the deserted town streets, the wide-open fields stretching to the horizon. The idea of 'top vampire in town' was almost laughable. "How the hell'd you get a decent number of Night People in Smallville?"
Twig looked insulted. "We are *not* Smallville!"
"And why am I guessing this has something to do with joining forces to get this Wild Power here in town?"
"She's more than a Wild Power."
Elisabetta frowned. Orion had said the girl was supposed to be the Dragon Princess, but she still refused to believe it. They had to kill Sati Meyer just to be sure, anyway. "I know that. What else you got?"
Twig grabbed her arm and pulled her to an ordinary-looking Ford sedan parked at the side of the road. "Just shut up and come." She was a little disappointed he wasn't taking her off in a limo. It was what she expected after meeting top city vampires. They all seemed to be incredibly rich.
Twig glanced over at her. "What were you expecting? A pick up truck?"
"A limo, actually." The house they were arriving at was no mansion. Just an ordinary house that would be on any suburban street, anywhere. Two storeys, perhaps slightly bigger than some of the ones they'd passed. She guessed in a small town they had to be a little more discreet.
She followed Twig inside, not sure what she was expecting, certainly not the gorgeous strawberry blonde who appeared in the living room. "Oh *God*!" she muttered, shaking her head.
"Hello to you too," Pythia said.
Elisabetta scowled. No doubt if Pythia was here then she would be after Garret as well. She had refused the whole threesome thing back then and wasn't going to go for it now. "Whatever you want the answer is no," she said bluntly.
"Garret's already bringing the Wild Power to me," Pythia said smugly.
"Garret's a *Daybreaker*," Elisabetta snorted. She kept her distance from Pythia, and her tone cold. She didn't like this woman.
"I have something of his."
Elisabetta frowned. Garret had a new girlfriend? That didn't really surprise her. He had already been a ladies vampire. So Pythia was blackmailing him. That didn't surprise her either. What did she want her and Orion for if she already had her bargain?
"We don't have her anymore." A small girl with short brown hair appeared in the doorway.
"This is Lilah, she's one of my spies. That's Elisabetta. She's a made vampire."
"I thought she was a Blackthorn," Lilah said.
Elisabetta shrugged. "I was made by a Redfern vampire, but the Redferns pissed me off, so I changed to working for the Blackthorns."
"What'd you mean we don't have her anymore?" Pythia said, turning to Lilah, glaring.
Lilah sighed. "She escaped."
"You fucked up!" Pythia snapped. She threw her hands up in the air. Obviously something had blown Lilah's cover as a spy. Now Garret wasn't going to bring Pythia the Wild Power. She tried not to smirk *too* much.
"Well if I said it was nice to see you again, I'd just be lying," Elisabetta said, and turned to go, only to be stopped by Orion and a black haired girl. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.
Orion shrugged. "Jewel said she'd hook me up with the head vampire in town." He gave Pythia one of his most dazzling smiles.
Elisabetta sighed. "Hook up with that bitch and I'll report you to the council."
"Oh grow up!" Pythia snorted. "So big of you, running telling tales."
It took every ounce of Elisabetta's strength not to hit her. She knew from past experience it would be a very foolish thing to do.
"We have a situation," Pythia said. "Dido has escaped and Lilah's cover has been blown."
"Doesn't matter," the black-haired girl called Jewel said. "We've got something else." She took Pythia's arm and lead her to the basement. Elisabetta followed with everyone else. There was a small blonde in what looked like a new set of silver chains on the wall. Pythia always did love to have a dark dank room with chains and a hostage to play with.
"Say hello to Star. The Wild Power's sister."
* * *
