"Look Eva, listen…"

"Go to hell!" she hissed, struggling against his grip.

"You have to listen to me…"

"I don't care!"

Shrieking and writhing, she was held against the wall in a vice like grip. Lucio looked forlorn as he held with ease. He wasn't ancient but he had a few years on her.

There was thuds and raised voices from the bar area, and Eva wanted to slam Lucio against the opposite wall and dive into action.

"Look, I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah, sure looks like it."

Sighing, Lucio slackened his grip slightly and as Eva hurled herself at him he deftly flung her so she went headfirst into the stockroom. She rolled onto her feet and span to retaliate, but he'd slammed the door behind him and stood in front of it with a defiant look on his face.

"Just stop for a moment, I'm here to help you."

"You sure about that one?"

"Yes, I'll keep you safe."

"And Pam and the others?"

"Who?"

"Them out in the bar, you can guarantee their safety, and Eric when he returns?"

"I'm here for you."

Eva made a dash for the door as his look softened, but he knocked her backwards deftly. She took a swing at him, and hit him squarely in the jaw. He was incredibly solid though and barely flinched. Eva took another attempt at a blow, but he held her wrists. She wondered when she'd attain that skill in a fight. When she was hit she was hit – maybe she wasn't use to her new skin yet?

"I'm between a rock and a hard place here, but look, Come with me, you'll be safe."

Eva stared at his dark eyes and sensed something amiss; she nodded faintly though to ease the situation along.

"How? How will I be safe?"

"You'll be with me, swear fealty, I can take you straight to Felipe."

"No," she breathed angrily.

"Eric will have to as well, the Queen is dead and the state is over run. Eric is too valuable and Felipe will secure him a position, but you…your expendable."

Eva sat up as Lucio loosened his grip slightly.

"The Queen is dead?"

"Yes, Felipe killed her himself."

Eva had a lot to chew over, and she while Lucio was making sense, there was something strange. She didn't trust it, for once, she didn't trust him. He'd laid his life on the line for her over and over again but this time, his face didn't show the same determination and distinct loyalty.

She wriggled out from under him and got to her feet slowly, so he didn't think she was about to jump him. She was very still, as if she was making a difficult decision. Eventually she nodded to him, and she saw a definite relief draw over his face. He went to open the door, still keeping a wary eye on Eva. She kept a false smile on her face and followed him into the corridor, the sounds of struggle in the bar had subdued.

Lucio was looking at Eva carefully, and suddenly her escape seemed bright and clear. In one big step towards him, she kissed him for the second time. She felt like some sort of femme fatale, but she kissed him as eagerly as she could manage. It wasn't romantic or exciting but apparently sufficiently convincing. Breaking the kiss to smile at him, she pulled at her collar. Lucio's eyes grew wider and as her fingers wound around the vamp equivalent of mace she couldn't help thinking, 'boys…'

"Don't get too excited," she laughed. Before he could make a move, she pulled it out and sprayed him as directly as she could manage. Watching Lucio going down like a sack of bricks, Eva felt guilty for a brief moment, then trusted her instincts again and reminded herself he'd heal easily enough. She made a dash for the bar.

"I'm sorry too," she called, turning briefly to see him clutching his face. She thought Pam was a genius, clutching the silver water gratefully.

In the bar, Pam herself was nowhere to be seen. There were two vampires from Fangtasia pinned against the wall with stakes held to their backs by some tall stocky looking vamps. The one that had called her cutie was rummaging behind the bar; god knows what he was looking for. He was number one she thought, leaping over the bar. He was quick though, and grabbed her by the throat the moment she was close enough. She was about to spray him but he got hold of her outstretched wrist with his other hand and pummelled it against the bar hard enough to break her knuckle and put a large cracking dent in the mahogany bar top. Shrieking, she clawed at his hand with her other, and clutched the silver water with the other.

He leered and leaned close to her face, and Eva delivered a swift aggressive blow just below his belt. As he grunted in pain, instead of slackening his grip, he tightened it. Howling in pain, Eva kicked him again. Once more instead of letting go, he just smashed her wrist against the bar, this time making her drop the silver water. Then suddenly he was gone.

Eva slumped to the floor for a moment, and then pulled herself up again to see Pam straddling the repulsive man on the floor on other side of the bar, her teeth clamped down on his neck. He was struggling but Pam was obviously much older.

Eva felt her knuckle sort of, slotting back together. It was a strange sensation, but she had no time to stand and observe it.

Her canister had rolled somewhere under the bar, so she groped around for one of the stakes behind the bar. It must have been moved, she couldn't find the one next to the till, or behind the bottle of Mohito. She realised they were being used to hold the Fangtasia vampires in place, and cursed under her breath. Pam looked like she was set to drain the vampire between her knees, but the ones holding stakes we're debating what to do. Their orders were obviously to try and keep the vamps inside alive, but it was a Louisiana vampire or one of their own.

Finally, one decided to take a quick stab at Pam then deal with the vampire he'd had under threat once more, as Pam posed a much larger threat. Eva sprang over Pam and her victim, and as the stocky vampire was about to bring down his stake on Pam, Eva tackled him brutally sinking her fangs where they could get. The Fangtasia vampire who was now free lurched on the one threatening her co-worker and started another tussle behind Eva's own struggle.

The stocky vampire stabbed at thin air, aiming for Eva, but she was being deft and slight, and rolled out the way time and time again. Eva went rolling over a table, and he brought the stake down to viciously the table shattered. One of the table legs landed near Eva's feet, and grabbing it, she took her own stab at her opposition. He was just as quick, and Eva realised she'd need to be a little smarter to avoid this endless do si do. She hurtled between his legs and scrambled to her feet again, leaping back to where Pam was getting a good old boost from her almost drained buddy. Pam saw her coming, and was bewildered as Eva dashed behind her and plastered herself against Pam, her arms around her neck. The stocky Vampire lurched at the pair of them, and Eva kicked backwards, pulling Pam with her. They both crashed backwards in an entwined heap as the stocky vamp brought the stake down on his weak friend's chest.

Pam grinned ear to ear at Eva, but while the stocky vamp was blinking at the bloody mess beneath him, wondering who he'd just killed, Eva sprang forward and sank the table leg into his back. There was another sloppy sound and Eva was swathed in blood of both men.

"Executed beautifully!" Pam laughed, more gleeful than Eva had ever seen her. She looked positively rosy, and Eva put that down to her snacking.

Eva stared down at her blood splattered self, who knew being a vampire was this messy? Pam was still grinning ear to ear when they heard the distinctive ring of a cell phone from the hall. Pam disappeared into the hall and when she returned she had a sorry looking Lucio in her grips. He still had dark red patches streaked across his face that resembled burns. His eyes were hazy and he was completely submissive and forlorn looking as Pam threw him to his knees before her, and dipped into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

"Hello, Pamela Swynford De Beufor speaking, how came I help?" she trilled in mock politeness. Eva was avoiding looking at Lucio; she was still going on her instincts. Pam was doing a lot of umming and aahing on the phone, her eyebrows raised. When she was finished, she smiled and threw the phone back at Lucio; you caught it meekly and tucked it in his pocket.

"Seems you've somewhat failed the task you were set, but it's alright," Pam told Lucio, and Eva's stomach lurched. Pam turned to her. "Felipe and Eric have reached an arrangement, we now owe fealty to him as a king, but still Eric as a sheriff." There was a definite relief now stretched across Pam's happy face. Eva nodded and forced herself to smile. "We're an allied kingdom now, so I suppose you can get up and dust yourself off…" she heard Pam instruct Lucio as she walked away.

Eva wasn't tired, but felt a certain weariness. Not physically, but of her whole situation. She wished Eric was back so she could talk to him, and she wanted to not be covered in blood that smelled so sweet she had to resist urges to lick it straight of her arms and legs like some sort of animal. Also, she did not want to hear what Lucio's task had been. Wandering back into Eric's office and sinking into his large swivel chair behind the desk, she noticed she'd left the cupboard hanging open. Inside were the spray, and the gun, and the papers and the curious crown. Lifting the crown from its resting place, she felt how heavy and solid and strangely regal it felt. Eva, a waitress from Lake Michigan was holding an ancient Viking crown that belonged her ancient Viking vampire maker. How times changed ey?

There was a creak of a floorboard, and Eva froze. There was another creak and she barely turned her head. Suddenly her senses tingled, and out of her peripheral vision she saw a large well built man with long straggly dark hair and grotesquely long fangs leap at her. In a fraction of a second her wits kicked in, and she dropped the heavy crown and her hand dove into the cupboard. The crown landed with an echoing clatter, as Eva fingers closed around the gun. Why not the silver water she couldn't fathom, but she was acting on the spur of the moment and the spur of the moment made her grab the gun. The greasy haired vamp was leaping over the table with fangs bared, and in a moment of sheer genius, Eva pointed the gun downwards, and pulled the trigger.

She rocketed herself back and landed in the chair, which swivelled round on her impact. Eva thanked her lucky stars as she heard the spray of splinters pierce the leather back of her chair. When the chair span full circle, a vampire with empty eyes gaped at her, his chest pocked with long dark splinters of wood. Then like a burst balloon, his skin bulged and tore, releasing a wave of blood that washed over gaping Eva. She stared at the wall and wondered what Eric would say went he saw what she'd done to his office.