By the time they returned, I was back on my stool as if I had never been eavesdropping. I had barely been able to make out sounds, and even fewer words, but I had detected a tone that put me even more on guard, a feeling that made me think this might be something far beyond a bunch of freaks needing new forms of entertainment.

"Please forgive our short absence. Shall I continue with my story?" he asked me.

I was not sure what to say or do. I felt more and more lost, struggling at the bottom of a dark hole with nothing to grab onto, no way to escape. And so I said nothing, swallowed my fear and feigned indifference.

"Silence certainly has its virtues," he said quietly. "I trust you have eaten and drunk adequately?"

I nodded, not meaning to. It was involuntary.

"Good. Now, shall I continue the story of our Savior?" He didn't wait for my response, just sat in his chair while Elita resumed her position by the fire. "Susej's secondary purpose was to provide us with new genetic material. His coming allowed us to finally separate ourselves from the bloodlines of the serpent, to rid our genetic constitution of the limits of this cold-blooded creature.

"While this purpose may, at first blush, appear purely biological, it was much more. In effect, he established a line of leadership in the Vampiric world to stretch into the unforeseeable future. There are only two family lines that have the blood of Susej, all others remain tainted with the blood of the serpent. This, of course," Julius paused, and directed his eyes toward Elita, "makes them no less attractive."

Elita smiled, bowed her head to Julius, then quickly turned her back to us.

In one sentence, Julius had elevated me above Elita. She was no longer my superior, no longer even an equal. She was now my subject. I almost felt sorry for her, almost felt pity. She must have sensed it, and turned her head around to glare at me, destroying any sympathy I might have maintained.

"Susej fathered many children..."

"But wait," I interrupted, "what woman existed that did not have reptilian blood?" Time for a little reality check. If I could trip him up in his own story, maybe that would help to clear my mind. I'm beginning to believe some of the things he says in spite of myself. How can that be possible? It must be the after-affects of the drugs they fed me or lack of nicotine. Julius smiled, pleased at my interest.

"Susej was a powerful man. He made his mate."

"You just lost me," I said.

"Be attentive and all will become clear. He chose Mary Magdalene as a mate."

"What?" I said, heart pounding. "Come on now, Julius, this is getting a bit far-fetched. She was not a Vampire."

"No, of course not. Susej turned her. Susej had the power to turn full humans into Vampires. For all our history, he has been the only one to have this power." He paused, before continuing, as if posing a question to himself. "Ponder for a moment, won't you, why is it your Christian church has so fearfully repressed your Savior's lover?"

"This is nonsense."

"Verbal discussions of genealogy are always complex. You must listen carefully. Granted, the turning of Mary Magdalene was against her will, but Susej then mated with her, and she bore twins, a boy and a girl. The boy was chosen by Susej as our first King. However, there was an interesting twist. While the boy was fully Vampiric, the girl was part Adamite and part Vampire."

"I guess the Magdalene was more powerful than Susej realized." Julius smiled. "Perhaps. Susej blessed this occurrence and gave the boy the power to turn the girl into a Vampire, should he choose, or to wait for any subsequent generation. His only directive was that subsequent Queens must stem from this original girl child of the twin birth, from this lineage. Our first King, my .direct ancestor, chose to wait. He mated with this female Adamite/Vampire hybrid several times and many children were born, all of whom had the genetic predisposition to be a Vampire but appeared human. There is an entire history in our Bible, much like Numbers in your Old Testament, in which the family tree stemming from our Messiah is clearly established."

"His sister," I gasped, "he mated with his sister? That is so disgusting." Julius laughed. His laugh, as mesmerizing as his voice, made me feel foolish.

"My dear, such family ties have no meaning for us. Nor for your biblical Adamite ancestors. You need only take a closer look at your own Bible. I will admit, your naivete is quite charming, so sweet." He smiled and cleared his throat. "Now, if I may continue. Our first King watched patiently as these children grew and finally selected a female to turn. There are stories of her extraordinary beauty, but other than that, no record of why he selected her. Thus, we have our first King and Queen and an explanation of our bloodlines. Mine, which is fully Vampiric and includes the gift of turning those with the predisposition for Vampirism received directly from the first born male of Susej. Yours, dear Lizzie, which represents the dormant Adamite line from which those of my lineage pick mates or companions to turn, originating from the first-born female child of Susej. These two lines make up the Vampire elite, the ruling class. Then, of course, there is Elita's line, which predates the Royal lines and originates from the serpent in the fabled garden of Eden." Elita stood abruptly and started toward the door. "No, my dear," said Julius, "I am not done with you." Bowing to him, she resumed her position at the fireplace. He continued. "The bloodlines related to the Messiah are central to our destiny. They are bloodlines given the right to rule by God, the chosen ones. Their numbers, of course, are quite limited, certainly in comparison to the numerous reptilian Vampires, who are in essence, our masses, our rank and file, and who do not require turning. We have been rigorous in maintaining the purity of the Messianic lines. Interbreeding between the Messianic bloodline and the reptilian bloodline has never occurred. Nor will it. Reptilians only breed with their own.

Although," with a nod at Elita, "that certainly does not prevent the sharing of sensual pleasures between Messianic Vampires and Reptilians, or even with Adamites. However, procreation between humans and Vampires is genetically impossible.

"Your world of cinema and fiction likes to pretend that we can create a Vampire simply by biting your fragile necks. If this were true, Adamites would have long ago come under the rule of the Vampire. I am the only remaining Vampire with the power to turn. All the others of my line are now gone." He smiled, like a child caught doing something bad. "The sun can be a mighty weapon when used correctly against your adversaries."

"There must be thousands, no, millions of possible Adamites that you could turn, that have this power to be your Queen. Your mate. Why pick me?"

"That is not important to you. Perhaps some other time. Know only that you are critically important, to me personally as my chosen, and to the larger forces of our times. Many centuries ago, the Vampire world began to slowly disintegrate, infected, I fear, with the same apathy now plaguing humankind. While these various factions in no way rival the power I wield over my own

group, they exist and are unhappy We need a united front. You and I are a symbol of reconciliation, and our union will transform our world."

"Maybe you should tell her about Lazarus," Elita said defiantly from the fireplace.

Julius paused before responding, anger seething beneath his words. "All in good time, Elita my love, all in good time." He stood abruptly. "I grow weary of the sound of my voice."

Elita, her lips drawn tight, moved to leave with him. He held up his hand.

"No. I shall sleep alone this day. I wish to prepare for the turning."

He leaned down over me. Taking my hand in his own, he said quietly, his powerful mesmerizing voice now down to a sharp-edged whisper that was all the more hypnotic, "Tomorrow, we will be one, and the future will be eternally ours."

Julius left the room without another word or even a glance back. Elita moved stiffly towards the door.

"Hey," I said, "what am I supposed to do now, and who is Lazarus?"

"I will not help you in any manner," said Elita forcefully "You are absolutely, utterly on your own. If Vampires prayed, I would pray that you were never turned." Her voice dropped to a level that only we could share. "I will see you vanquished. Little girl."

I was left alone, bewildered, in the center of the room. My heart raced. Terror gnawed at the edge of resolve and the thin line between sanity and hysteria was bending dangerously close to irreversible damage. The absence of the suffocating sound of his voice was too much to bear, and alone with my thoughts, a scream was forming on the edge of my tongue.

"Are you ready for bed, madam? The sun will be up shortly." Frightened, I spun around and saw Jenkins standing in the open door behind me.

"I'm not a Vampire, I don't need to hide from the sun," I yelled.

"In that case, perhaps you would care for breakfast?"