Flowers for a Little Girl

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Chapter 1



Inelegantly sprawled on a high back chair, Louis absentmindedly stared
up at a painting of a young lady holding roses. His long slender hands
hung loosely between his open legs. Satin knee length stockings and
tan boots were wrapped about his shapely calves. Lace hung over his
slender wrists, and gloves hid the gleam of his vampire nails. He
looked like a polite young man trying in vain to hide his boredom.
Just a hint of worldliness was on his full, ripe lips.

"Isn't the sherry to your liking my dear boy?" asked a stout, ruddy
gentleman, "you haven't touched a drop."

"Mon ami, poor soul, he isn't a sherry drinker," Lestat said, pulling
his lace and wide cuffs back from his wrists, readying himself to play
the piano.

Louis could hear the bitter sweet jibe of sarcasm under the
superficial gentility of Lestat's voice.

"Nor are you a sherry drinker, monsieur," Louis whispered, too softly
for the mortals in the parlor to hear.

Lestat's lips twisted in a tight sardonic smile. He pressed each key
of the piano with a light and sure touch.

Claudia broke out into a grin she tried to smother with her hand. The
De Blanc family consisted of a prosperous, merchant father, an
unremarkable matronly mother, and five little one who resembled their
mama and papa in one way or the other. All of them wore dutiful little
smiles. Their ears were wide open to to the pretty small girl standing
with such proper posture on her stool, ready to sing to them for their
entertainment.

Claudia composed her lips from her wide grin to a prim smile. Her mind
went back to the first time she had sung for an audience. At the
fashionable parlor of the Le Fontaine's. She had opened her mouth and
no song the La Fountains could hear came out. Her mouth to mortal ears
seemed to be vacant of sound, her fathers alone, her magnificent
fathers, could hear the bell like tones emanating out of the open oval
of her mouth. Lestat had arched his head back. One of his grudging
smiles of shy approval lit up his face. He kept those smiles in
reserve for it was not proper for a well breed gentleman to show too
much approval of his daughter. Louis could only stare at her, a look
of melancholy on his face as he soaked up the perfection of her other
worldly voice. The La Fontaines could only gape at her confused with
no understanding of what was going on.

Finally, Madam La Fontaine decided the child wasn't making fun of
them, clapping her hands, she said, "Ah ma cherie. My poor petite you
are suffering from stage fright. Do not be afraid of us. We will be
kind during your performance. We shall not bite you."

Lestat went to Claudia, and whispered, "Do it correctly my little
fool. Would you have them laugh at you? Think you timid? Sing so they
can hear you. Your papa and I hear you enough times at our leisure. It
is time to sing to the "grave bound ones".

The night of her first performance Claudia lowered her voice to be
heard at the same level as the voice she was now using tonight for her
umpteenth performance. As usual her thrill of a voice held the adults
spell bound. She noticed the five children ages seven through three
were listening attentively enough. Their eyes through wandered.

She stopped her sad song she was singing, remembering the warm La
Fontaines, their two children, their funerals she did not attend. Of
course neither would she attend the eventual funeral of the De Blanc
children, or of their parents.

She marked the three year old to be the one who would die first two
weeks from tonight on the last week of the warm month of June. She
could picture the little girl already dead in her coffin. Next, she
would kill the seven year old boy, her father Lestat would insist on
killing the five year old, she would allow him his wish without a
fuss. Lestat had a craving for auburn haired children she noticed. She
would kill the rest and would also insist on the mother, she always
did, through her father Lestat would pretend to grumble and argue with
her. In the end he would with a great show of being a put upon, and of
being a long suffering parent, he would cave in to her desire to kill
the mother. As she knew he would even before they started their so
called tussle with words. Lestat would dutifully take the less choice
cut of meat by killing the father Always the children would die first.
She remembered the time Lestat suggested they kill a father and mother
first. She had flown at Lestat hammering him with her small hands,
screaming, "No child should be hurt like that." She had trouble even
looking at Lestat weeks after that. Forgiving him only after he took
her to her favorite opera.

"Would you like a cookie?" Madam La Blanc offered, holding out a tray
to her.

"Non, Madam, my father, and my uncle, they do not allow me treats.
It's ruinous to one's teeth. How can I in good conscience stuff myself
with cookies when so many children beg the streets these days?"
Claudia asked piously.

"Ah monsieurs. you both are too strict with your Claudia. Are you
bringing her up to be a nun, n'est-ce-pas?" She beamed at her own
healthy brood of children whose hands fell upon the cookies. Madam
brushed their faces and their cheeks with her plump hands. She was a
woman so far lucky Only one child, her first died, and this in an age
where children died all too easily.

"We require our daughter to be as perfect as her maker," Lestat said
dryly, flexing his long fingers.

Staring up at the ceiling, Louis coughed.

"Ah, no one can be that perfect. As perfect as God, not even a saint,"
Madam said, smiling, shaking her head, "What a burden you have placed
on a child."

"Come Omphale," Claudia said, climbing from the little stool, taking
the three year old's hands, leading her away from her brothers and
sister, "I want to play dolls with you."

Omphale took Claudia to her bedroom

"Let me play too," Paulette, a pretty girl of six asked, trying to get
in.

Shutting the door in Paulette's face, Omphale trapped inside, Claudia
opened it the door a little bit, saying, "I'll play with you when it's
your turn. Go play with your brother Francis."

Maneuvering Omphale to be seated at her vanity in front of her mirror,
Claudia undid the child's braids, combing them out.

"I love your hair," Claudia said, running the brush through the
strands, "I love you."

"Claudia?" Omphale whispered, "Do you have?"

"Oui, I do," Claudia whispered, pulling out a tube of lipstick, "Ah, a
great actress who worshipped my father, Lestat, she gave this to him
to remember her by, so tragic, she took ill, and died in his arms. She
could have been my new mama if she hadn't died."

"Not really?" Omphale asked, her eyes wide.

"Non, not really," Claudia whispered in her ear as she smeared the
lipstick on the girl's lips.

Giggling, Omphale did Claudia's lips the same favor. Omphale scrambled
out of her chair, running to her dolls.

"Would you like to see my new baby?" Claudia said in a high voice,
holding up one of Omphale's dolls. A pretty blond girl doll.

"Oh oui," Omphale said holding up a doll with long flowing brunette
tresses.

Claudia made the doll "walk" and "talk, taking it to where a doll's
cradle was, she said, "What a beautiful baby. So pretty like you.
Babies this pretty were made to live forever in heaven," She reached
up and touched Omphale's cheek.

After a while Claudia took Omphale's hands, skipping with her down the
stairs. Paulette followed skipping down with them. Claudia noticed to
her satisfaction the glint of envy and sadness in Paulette's blue
eyes.

"Papa" Claudia said happily, climbing up to be snuggled in Lestat's
lap, "I want to go. I'm sleepy." Throwing her arms around Lestat's
neck, she whispered, "I want Omphale tonight. I can not wait till the
end of the month." She cast a long glance at Louis. She well knew he
could hear her.

Louis looked way. Claudia smiled wanly, scolding herself for taunting
her overly sensitive father, how could she bring herself to stop her
bad habit of tormenting him?

It poised on Lestat's tongue to tell her, non, she should practice
self control. He saw the sad look on Louis' face, too.

"My cheri, you are more than welcome to kill her tonight," Lestat
whispered, relishing the distress on Louis' face.

Sighing, Louis stood up, "Madam, we must bid you adieu, our little
one, we must put her to bed."

"The hour does draw late," Madam said, "Merci for you performance
Claudia. You have a very beautiful voice. You are such a little grown
up."

"Merci," Claudia beamed, curtsying to her.

They took their leave of the La Blanc's home.

Louis kept any protests he had about the future epidemic of murder
Lestat and Claudia were going to let loose on the La Blanc's family to
himself.

I can not cause you any pain or remorse over what you are, Louis
thought to himself about his daughter.

"Carry me, father," Claudia whispered to him.

Louis scooped down, picking her up, her long, plump legs wrapped
themselves around his waist. Her head found a place on his shoulder.

I love how your cologne smells, she thought. She blushed, holding him
too hard almost.. It hurts, these horrible feelings, I am not sure
about how I feel for you. v Feelings of being mixed up and confused
ran through her, I know you love me You say it again and again, bur
why, how? I bring you joy when I play like a little girl, and sorrow
when I be the demon I be. Am I a demon? Am I normal. Are we normal?
She clutched at him harder, a warmth gathering between her thighs,
blood calling out in her for a kiss from her father Louis, always even
before she could put a name to how she felt, she felt aroused,
stimulated, wanting to touch herself and to be touched when she was
held by either of her two fathers. She knew somehow she wasn't
responsible for how she felt, she knew of one of them were
responsible.

Louis sucked on me, I sucked on Lestat the night of my creation. Who
first put these feelings first in motion? she thought. She touched her
neck, the skin throbbed and ached where she touched.

"Claudia," Lestat said taking her hands away. "Are you sure you
wouldn't rather wait to kill Omphale? I hate for her to die the very
night of our third visit. It's too soon."

"Now," Claudia breathed, pressing her small face in Louis' hair which
curled at the nape of his neck.

"Claudia," Louis said gently pleading, "Perhaps Lestat is right. You
should wait to kill her."

"That's the coward in you talking Louis," Lestat said smugly, "I was
just testing you, cheri. Your courage is your papa's pride. Murder the
child tonight by all means. I'll escort you."

"Merci papa," Claudia, thinking. Ah Lestat makes you angry when you
fall into one of his traps, ne'st ce-pas Louis? Claudia patted her
dark father's cheeks to comfort him while she smiled up at her golden
father.

Lestat smirked at Louis.

She dreamed of how the evening would end. She and Lestat climb up the
walls of the La Blanc's home. She would will the window to open, the
curtains would part out of her way. On her slippers she would prowl to
the child laying on the bed. Pulling back the covers her father near
by, her lips and tongue would taste Omphale's dear sweaty neck, and
there would be a fall of moisture between them. Then she would suck,
and first fear and dread would gather up like bile in the back of her
throat. An angry tug of a memory would haunt her and for a moment she
would remember it was she who once was struggling to survive,
struggling so hard she didn't even have the energy to waste tying to
scream for help. Then the narcotic flow of blood would flood the
nightmare fear away. And she would be trapped in a thrall which no
longer overwhelmed her as it once did when she was a very new
fledgling. Death was an erotic event for the victim only if they
willingly succumbed, otherwise if they fought, death could be
terrifying and painful. How would Omphale die? She could not predict.
She would embrace Omphale till Omphale was cold, and she herself was
all too warm. Then Lestat would take her to Saint Louis' cemetery
where he would prance and dance with her, lifting her high up in his
arms for the moon to admire her.

As they walked, she thought, Why do we like to hurt you so papa Louis?
Is it because you like to keep to yourself, aloof from us? I swear you
keep what papa Lestat and I most want from you. Your passion. You
deserve for us to hurt you. Perhaps, I want the passion of another if
I can never truly have yours, papa.

Chapter 2

Claudia drew up the hot cocoa to her mouth, letting the heat and steam
of the liquid radiate onto her small face, relishing the delicious
warmth of it. Her papa Louis stretched his legs, passively watching
the mortal drinkers of coffee, tea, or wine in the cafe. He did not
seek to engage any one of them in eye contact games. Games he often
times utilized to lure a man or a woman to runaway with him to a
secretive hide-a-way far from the fraternal herd of protective mortal
eyes.

"You should not be judgmental of Lestat and I when we fell families,"
Claudia said flirtatiously coaxing him to debate with her.

"Claudia," Louis said gently, holding his wide, porcelain cup to his
face, "it's so, so coldly premeditative of you and Lestat."

Claudia's face became reflective. "When I was a little girl I did not
understand half the time, non, many times what I was doing when I
killed. All I understood was that I was being good to myself. The
definition I had for the word "good," was to kill and to be sated.
That was all there was too goodness. When I watched Father Lestat
killing a person, I was often times excited, and I felt him to be a
good man, and as I grew older I couldn't help but question our brand
of goodness. I felt I had seen too much goodness too soon. Invading
human beings lives, their privacy when I had no idea of the
consequences of what their endings might mean. Lestat and I, we
comfort the fathers and the mothers of the children we kill. We
comfort the left behind siblings. Tonight, we will visit the De
Blancs. Lestat will give presents to their children, and cheer them up
for the loss of poor Omphale. And when Madam and Monsieur have lost
all their children, they will be all too willing to join them in
death. Unlike you we do not cut asunder families Louis. We keep them
intact."

"Lestat enjoys playing the trickster," Louis said dissmissivly,
"Goodness has nothing to do with it. It amuses him to pretend to lie
to his victims. He doesn't care about them. He adores to betray their
trust in him."

"Father of Lies," Claudia mused, "with his dear daughter Deception. He
teaches me the art of lies and betrayal?" Claudia asked, amused at
Louis's sadness. He was so amusing.

Never have I ever seen your sadness rear up to become anger. You
always seem so quietly resigned to my mental tortures of you, Claudia
thought, feeling a mixture of glee and sadness to for how she
mistreated him.

"Oui, he teaches you to betray those who love you," Louis said, a plea
in his voice for her to have some empathy for him.

"Who would love me?" Claudia scoffed," mortals? Are you referring to
the mortals? Those who fall in love with what they think they see and
want? Me, all packaged up in a little girl's skin with a bow in my
hair. They love me not, no more than I love them. Tell me what I was
like when I was a little girl?"

"You were as beautiful as you are now. Very quiet. I remember once
when we were on an outing a little boy threw a ball at you. It bounced
right off of you. You stared at it, then you stared at the child, as
if you were trying to remember something."

"A connection. I was trying to remember what play was like," Claudia
said softly, "You see the feelings inside of me after killing were so
intense I often times would sit in a corner of my mind, and let myself
simply get over my emotions in order to calm down. It would cause me
to forget everything. I actually forgot about the concept of playing.
I knew there once was a connection between myself and other children.
I could not relate to them, and I didn't understand why I was so
different from them. When I was a child it seemed my life rocked back
and fourth from one misunderstanding to another. My mind would blank
out from having memories of every day mortal interactions."

"I worried for you often times," Louis said, brushing her hair with
his hand. "Sometimes, when you were not being contemplative, you were
an eager student. Spelling, mathematics, everything you absorbed. But,
you never seemed to be able to absorb sometimes the activity which was
going on around you."

"I got over it, Claudia said perversely, "I would reenact the kills
with my dolls. It made me understand who I was, and what mortals are,"< br> she said kissing Louis' hand, "Tell me more."

"There were times you were an inquisitive, happy personage, who loved
to play the piano too fast. You always liked to read, but asides from
your dolls."

"I never really played childish games," Claudia said quietly.

Louis rubbed the graininess of his sugary pastry onto his finger.

"Have you ever been attracted to a child?" Claudia said, putting her
small hand to his large one squeezing it intimately.

"Have I been?" Louis said startled, bemused at the misplaced
admiration in her eyes, "Claudia, you know we are not attracted to
anyone. It's only the blood which we take from out victims which
enable us to find any real emotional fulfillment."

"When you were mortal then? I'm trying to understand why did you
choose me, and not a woman? What attracted you to me?"

"You wanted so very much to live when I found you beside your mother's
corpse, and I so very much wanted to kill. I was delirious only for
your blood, and the fact you were a child made the act all the more
heinous. For years I denied my nature keeping my kills to animals.
Your death ushered me to the truth of what I am. You're being a child
made it possible for me to kill any man, woman, or child. It threw me
over the edge of my very nature," Louis mused, "Claudia, I once was
attracted to a child."

"Who?' Claudia asked, her eyes widening.

"I was wrestling with my brother Paul. He was but fifteen yeas old. We
were shirtless. Our bodies were rubbing against each others.
Inexplicably, I found my lips on top of his. We were breathing hard.
His mouth stared to open. His tongue pressed against my mouth as if
nothing in the world tasted to him as wonderful as me. His eyes were
all at once frightened, desirous. He was so ashamed, so innocent, so
full of curiosity. Our hearts pounded against each others. We laid
there like this; lips on top of lips for seconds, waiting for the kiss
to disappear, or to intensify. It could go either way. I remember how
he smelled, so much like a boy just barely starting to become a man. I
started to caress him under his arms. His skin was almost hairless,
and so smooth. I had a selfish urge to be his first, to have my
handsome brother be infatuated with me, to be his first lover, his
first teacher, to protect him from his first time being perhaps a
loveless fuck done on to his body by a man who only wanted to seduce
him. I loved him, I told myself, so how could it be wrong? My hands
itched and burned to part Paul's legs."

"What happened?' Claudia asked eagerly.

Louis smiled. "I tousled my bother's hair, and got off of him. I knew
it would not be fair of me to make my brother be my lover. To be the
one to disillusion him about love. Through I will admit after what
happened, I subconsciously flirted with him. I decided Paul needed a a
paramour, so I picked out one of our slaves, Jamie, for him to have
intimacies with. I never talked to Paul really. I only tried to fix
things for him the way I felt they should be fixed. I lost my brother.
I did not believe him when he told me he was in love with Jamie and
wanted to runaway with him, a simple colored boy, or when he told me
about the voices he was hearing. He was so distraught, when I told him
I was going to send him away from Jamie, He had hallucinations of
devils chasing him. He fell down the gallery stairs. I was so angry I
blamed everyone including myself. I even in a drunken rage almost sold
his lover, Jamie, to a sexual predator."

"What happened to Paul's lover? Can I meet him?"

"He died. A vampire killed him."

"What a sad story," Claudia said sentimentally as she was prone to do
when she read a poem, or a love story, "Lestat killed Jamie then?"

"Non, it was another," Louis said uncomfortable.

"Then there are more like us in New Orleans?"

"Non, this vampire, he died," Louis lied.

"How!" Claudia said suspiciously.

"He stayed out too late and died in the sun," Louis said, "He was a
very weak rogue."

"Is he in heaven with Paul, with Jamie? This vampire is he?"

"I do not know if there is a heaven," Louis said calmly, "I know after
Paul died I had what seemed to be a million dreams about Paul being
caught between heaven and the earth. I no longer have such dreams."

"Then you are worse then Lestat and I. If there is no heaven there is
no way families will ever see each other again. You leave grievers
behind you. You have no idea of the hurt you have caused to others
with your random take of victims. At least we take responsibility in
uniting parents with their children, wives with their husbands. You
are too hard on Lestat and I."

"And you, daughter, you are much too hard on me," Louis said with a
grimace.

"Lestat says there is no God. That it's simply a matter of our will to
survive over their will to survive," Claudia said insistently staring
at Louis' lips, wondering what would happen if she would part her lips
for him whenever he presented her again and again with his cool,
chaste, affectionate kisses. She looked hastily away from him,
blurting out, "Lestat thinks you to be the perfect idiot. You have too
much scruples and guilt, so you kill like a mindless zombie with no
emotions."

Louis lips tightened, at her words, "Oui, I know what Lestat says and
thinks of me. Why repeat these words to me?"

She put her small hands to her lace collar, thinking, Because you hurt
me when I was to young to be hurt. Because my mother hurt me by dying
when I was too young to lose her. "Paul is dead," she intoned in a
flat voice, "There is no heaven. There is no hope for Paul."

"Then Lestat has given us what no other mortals are permitted to
enjoy, a true chance of eternal immortality, and eternal hope for
something better to come around the corner," Louis said in a colorless
voice.

"This isn't immortality, this is only a very long life we live,"
Claudia said coolly, "Immorality is being divorced from the needs of
having to keep oneself alive. You do not know when your life will end
and along with it hope. You fool yourself when you call this life we
live an immortal life."

"I do in my vanity fool myself," Louis said lightly, seeking to disarm
her with a dashing smile, "I'm going to take you shopping."

"You always take me shopping when you are tired of the conversation we
are having," Claudia protested, "You always want to distract me when
we are becoming too uncomfortably close."

"Not at all," Louis said, standing up from his chair.

"I want to talk more, besides Lestat told us, ha! he ordered us to
meet him here."

"Non, I want to leave. Lestat is late anyway. How about if I take you
to the circus?"

"The circus! In mortal years I am in my sixties. Why do you do this?
Treating me like a child after you've just finished treating me as an
equal?" Claudia cried mortified.

"I am an adult, and I want to see the circus," Louis said blandly,
wanting to run from her, yearning to lock himself away from the
accusations her very presence caused him to feel.

"Then go! Go on your own! I will wait here for Lestat. "

"Non, " Louis said, guiltily, quitting his desire to abandon her,
"Come with me. Let Lestat fend for himself."

"Sometimes I wonder why you won't allow me to fend for myself? Either
of you!" Cladia cried, "Sometimes I wonder do you love me? Or do you
have any feelings at all for me? Do you protect me out of a sense of
duty? Where would you be right now if you had a choice Louis?"

"Here with you," Louis said , cupping her face, taking her gloved
hand, "You talk such foolishness," he gently chided her, "Of course I
want to be with you."

He saw Lestat coming into the cafe. A surge of lust and disdain washed
over Louis at the appearance of his companion.

"Ah, Louis, Claudia, Princess and Prince Charming," Lestat teased,
"Both of you right out of a story book." He put his arm around Louis'
waist.

Stiffening, Louis pulled himself away, remembering the last time he
allowed himself to fall prey to his weakness, when he last melted
against Lestat for just a kiss. Afterwards, Lestat did not talk to him
for a month. Louis picked up Claudia.

"I have tickets to the theatre," Lestat said, his face burning with
embarrassment from Louis' well merited distrust of him.

"We've been to the theatre how many times? We're going to the circus
tonight," Louis said briskly, heading for the door.

"How mundane of you. Dancing bears, and monkeys in trousers. Surely,
Claudia that cannot impress you," Lestat said coldly, "here give me
the child."

"I decided I want to go to the circus," Claudia said wickedly, hoping
for them to start arguing with one another. At least when they argued
they talked to each other.

"Is it what you want to do, Cherie?" Lestat said, caressing Claudia's
hair. His fingers strayed to Louis' cheek bone, tracing down to his
chin, up to his lips.

Slowly, Lestat's eyes raised from Claudia's to Louis' face. Louis'
eyes were half closed. He shuddered at the mere touch of Lestat's
fingers. Louis' face started to color, his lips rounded to kiss and
bite at the hand playing with his mouth. Sighing, Louis resolutely
turned away, refusing to collapse to Lestat's will.

Ah, papa Louis, Claudia thought seeing the crestfallen look on
Lestat's face assemble itself from a look of sadness to an expression
of pure, spiteful contempt. Lestat's jeering laughter scourged Louis'
slender shoulders, causing them to sag. Louis walked away from him.
Lestat followed them out the door.

You are Papa Louis, she thought, twirling her babyish fingers
throughout his hair, Way too harsh with us.

Chapter 3

Claudia held fast to Lestat's hand as they strolled inside of the
warehouse where the circus was being performed.

They sat in the first row, Claudia between them. Lestat and Louis
carefully sized each other up, daring the other to make any kind of
conversation. Sighing, Louis abruptly broke the childish game of
trying to stare Lestat down.

I've lost that protective feeling I once felt sitting between you
both, she thought sadly. Everyone here thinks I am a little girl with
my father and his friend, or perhaps another relative. They wonder
where my mother is. They probably wonder if she is . . . gone. I'm not
a little girl. I wonder what I am? Am I gone from being anything at
all now? She drew up her knees to her chest. Lestat lightly slapped
her knees, telling her to sit as a lady should.

Straightening out her legs under her bell like shirt, she bitterly
watched the little man in the gaudy top hat prancing around ring.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," cried the midget, "Tonight we have elephants.
Oui, I best watch out," the little man yelled his face was painted a
lustrous white. "One false step, and one may step on me!" He ran about
yelling, pretending to be frightened of the great beasts with their
fantastical long noses.

"Why can't that mortal grow up?" Claudia whispered, "Who did that to
him?"

"No one did anything to him," Lestat said testily, "He was born that
way."

"He's a freak isn't he? That's why everyone is laughing at him.
Right?" Claudia said leaning forward, "Will other vampires laugh at me
if they see me? If they catch me shall I be put on their circus
stages?"

"Non, mortals are laughing at him because he is amusing, and in his
lowly fashion he is a witty man," Lestat said his patience with her
starting to dry up.

The little man leapt into the air doing a somersault landing on his
feet.

Is that me then? Amusing, funny, born into darkness as unnatural as he
was born into the world?"

"Claudia," Lestat said almost angrily "You are our beautiful little
girl. Must we launch into yet another one of your petty arguments?
Don't we pay you enough attention?"

"Non, I guess not. Why should we fight?" Claudia said, watching a
blush form on Louis' face.

Hearing the sound of cloth being invaded, Claudia turned here head.

What is he doing? she thought of the handsome boy of fifteen with is
mop of unruly copper red hair, freckles, and a thick lipped, charming
smile. She thought him at first to be dressed as a gentleman's son. On
closer inspection, she noticed the clothes he had on through fine,
were used and obviously not originally his own.

Winking at her, he put his finger to his lips, warning her not to make
a sound. Very carefully, he slid his hands into a gent's back pocket,
pulling out a wallet. Coolly, the boy sat down, watching the elephants
along with the rest of the audience.

With the self assured air of a prince, he suddenly got up, walking
down the aisle, taking the stairs down, leaving the warehouse.

"Claudia, are you enjoying the show? Claudia?" Louis asked, "Claudia
where are you?"

Nothing but empty space was now between Lestat and Louis.

"She was just right here," Lestat cried standing up, looking around
for her in the crowd, "Devil take her, where did she run off to?"

"It's not like her to leave without one of us gong along," Louis said
worriedly. "She's been so resentful of late."

"Our daughter seems to take a perverse liking to testing her
limitations with us," Lestat said, "This is your fault that she is
upset. We shouldn't have brought her here."

"Non, this is your fault. You should."

"I should have what? Let you kill her a long time ago?" Lestat taunted
him, "You would love to be free of us both, wouldn't you?"

"She isn't happy. Seeing her as she is sometimes, I think I should
have killed her," Louis said softly, "It's too late for that now. You
should have let me kill her."

"She'll get over this," Lestat insisted, "It's a stage she is going
through. She isn't mortal Louis. She 'll realize in time she isn't
missing out on anything by being a vampire."

"Hush," Louis pleaded, looking around nervously at the crowd of
mortals surrounding them.

"Hush yourself," Lestat mocked.

Listen to me," Louis said grabbing his arm, "Things have changed for
her."

"Non, you listen to me. This subject is closed," Lestat said, shaking
his arm from his grip, "We have to find her."

Running after the boy, Claudia stopped when he stopped.

They studied each other. The boy dashed his arm out forward. Gasping,
Claudia squealed in delight. Out from his sleeve, feathered flowers
sprang. "Flowers for a little girl," he said with a bow. "I'll give
you these flowers if you leave me alone."

"I'm not a little girl. I'm," struggling with what to say, she
thought, What am I? How do I introduce myself? For years I have been
dead, dead Claudia who has forgotten her real name. I have no crypt
where my name is carved to read my name to find out who I am. I am
nothing but thirst and hunger, feeding of off boys like you to keep my
corpse animated. With a rush of words, she surprised herself by
blurting out, "I'm not a child. I'm a person. I'm like you are."

"What do you mean you're like I am?" the boy said, amused, "I've been
around little people all my life. My sister is one. She's eighteen.
She has breasts and everything a woman has. What do you mean you are
like me?"

"I'm a," she stammered.

"Cat ate up all of your tongue?'" he said amused.

"I'm like you," she said going forward her hands nervously clutched,
"I'm an adult like you."

"Hey, I'm no adult, through, thanks for the compliment."

"I'm fourteen, I stopped growing at six. I don't know why, I think my
parents knew I wouldn't grow up before they had me, I hate them
sometimes. I want to love them as I once did. But, I don't understand
why they had me if they knew I wasn't going to grow up."

"You shouldn't hate them for that," he said sympathetically, "I could
have been born like my sister."

"What's your name?" Claudia asked, looking up at the tall boy, "Why do
you steal? You're supposed to be good. Why aren't you good? Are you
poor?"

"Of course I'm not poor. The name is Jean. My father is the ringmaster
himself. Do not get us wrong. We are born from a long line of
aristocrats. Believe me or not, I could cares less if you do believe
me." Jean said airily, "Are you always good?"

"Oui, non," Claudia said said beaming, "I never had to worry about
being good"

"You're pretty ," he said critically.

"I am?" she said a little surprised, "I mean I always have been told
I'm pretty, but well how am I pretty?"

"You have nice enough eyes, and tolerable hair."

"Tolerable hair?" she said delighted.

"I can help you steal. If you want me to," she said softly.

"Why should you want too? A rich, nice girl like you?" he said curious
"How do you know I won't turn around and steal from you?"

"Because I'll give you what ever you want from me even before you ask
me for it. Whatever you want of mine is yours. Besides, it looks like
what you do is amusing," she said sweetly.

"I guess. Why not? I can use an accomplice," he said cockily, "Wanna
break into the governor's mansion with me? I'll put you through a
window, and you pick off the first valuable thing you see. Understand,
I'm not taking cAndy here."

"I think I understand what you mean by valuables," she said, running
to take his hand.

"Claudia, what are you up too?" said an amused voice out of the
shadows.

Go away Lestat, Claudia thought, tuning around she said as nicely as
she could, "I'm just playing father."

"Of course you are, and what a nice little playmate we have here,"
Lestat said expectantly, "let me watch how the two of you play."

''Embarrassed, Jean took a step backwards "It was nice meeting you
both."

"You've out done yourself, this time Claudia. He's delightful, very
comely to look upon. Come now. We haven't all night. Take him," Lestat
said impatiently.

"Shut up father. Stop interfering with me!" Claudia hissed. "Jean, can
we meet again here tomorrow night, " she begged, " I would like to
talk to you some more."

"I don't know if that's possible," Jean said nervously.

"Please do,' Lestat urged, possessively taking Claudia's hand. He
smiled winningly at the boy, "My name is de Lion Court.. How would you
both like it if I took the two of you out for chocolates at the cAndy
shoppe tomorrow night?"

"I probably should be going home," Jean said, "Here don't forget your
flowers."

"People say my name is Claudia. Call me Claudia." v "Claudia, Lestat,"
Louis cried, "I've been looking all over for the both of you."

"Looks like I've already found her. You're late for our little dinner
party," Lestat heartlessly teased.

Noticing the boy amongst them, Louis hurriedly went to Claudia.

I hate that miserable look on your face! Claudia thought angrily of
Louis, And that smirking look on your face Lestat, I swear it could
drive me insane with rage. I am not going to kill Jean!

"Jean meet me here tomorrow," she pleaded, glaring at Louis and
Lestat. v "Sure, oui," he said absently, running away.

What a droll, little rag muffin," Lestat said in a low voice,
"Splendid, he trusts you, and tomorrow, and tomorrow soon there will
be no tomorrows left for our dear Jean."

I have no idea what you are talking about," Claduia said shortly,
wrenching her hand out of his.

"Haven't you Claudia?' Lestat said amused, "Come along the both of you
before the rooster crows. I swear neither of you would last another
night without me taking care of you. both."

Chapter 4

Taking off with speed no morals yet could but dream of , they
ventured through the alleys.

"There Claudia there," Lestat whispered abruptly, stopping her, Louis
slowed his pace, he crouched low.

"Are you going to watch me then father?" Claudia cried to Louis. She
eyed a drunken man, so foolish to be stumbling alone. Such an unlucky
man.

"Non, my darling. I will meet you at our coffin, good bye to the two
of you," Louis said softly. He then disappeared.

"Have at the man, and be quick about it," Lestat urged.

Lestat sat back on his haunches, expecting his daughter to make the
mewling sounds of a child in need. A child lost to her dear ones. To
his surprise she did not perform her expected role. Claudia went
right up to the old man. Lestat bit down his distress, and then his
fury at the wantonness on Claudia's face.

"I'm here for you," she whispered to the man, licking his face.

"And what star my little angel did you take you fall from?" the drunk
whispered, nervously scratching his crotch.

"The star with your name on it," she thrilled, picking up his bottle
of whisky, she tipped it upside down, pretending to swallow. "You can
touch me for whatever its worth to you," she said.

"You're but a child," them man whimpered, "A child."

"Born for the sport I am proposing. Kneel to me. And shall we kiss?"

The man stumbled to his knees, his rank breath making her face hot.
He was amazed at her. Her eyes were enormous. In the darkness her
eyes had no color at all, but he could feel they had to be a piercing
blue. Her face had a bewitching moon child's paleness about it,. She
gloated at the bulge, the erection becoming hard in his stained
pants.

Rubbing her face on his rough bristles, she whispered, "Kiss,"
against his miost neck, she whispered, "Die," against his lips.

Puncturing his throat with her fangs, his heart pumped blood into her
rapacious mouth. She clutched on his shirt, holding fast and tight on
to him. He stood up, trying to push her away. Circling her small legs
around him, she held him even tighter, till coughing up blood against
his chest, she then dropped to her feet. The last savior of his death
too deadly of a rich taste for her small self.

Lestat took her hand, "Quite a trick you played on him, child."

"I learned it watching you take the whore you took last night. How
she held you. How you pretended to allow her to seduce you father.
Quite a trick you played on her," Claudia said proudly, tilting her
head.

"She was a woman, child, I will not have you trying to mimic a woman
to get your victims. Do you understand me? Stick to what you truly
are."

"But father the power I had over him. I aroused him."

"He was aroused by child, not a woman," Lestat said harshly.

He picked her up in his arms. She rested her head on the expensive
material of his shirt thinking, "Non, he knew, he died knowing the
woman inside of this body of a doll."

Once they entered into Rue Royal, Claudia slid out of her father's
arms, running for Louis' and her room.

"Did you have a pleasant evening?" Louis said, sitting in his arm
chair, smiling at her.

"Oui, papa, I did," she said, picking up her music box she tuned the
key. Dancing around the room, she held her arms up aloft.

"Why are you so happy?" Louis humbly asked.

"Why is a state of happiness such a mystery to you?" Claudia laughed,
"I simply am happy."

Lestat entered the room. He shut the top of the music box, ending the
music, "you bought yourself a child's coffin. Sleep in it tonight,
Cherie."

"Non, I will not, I comfort papa when I with him. You know of papa's
fear of dark, closed in places," she said, admitting to herself she
had a fear of dark places too and Louis was a greater comfort to her
than she was to him, but Lestat need not know everything.

Louis raised an eye brow, looking up at Lestat, wondering what Lestat
was up too.

"Have it your way, Claudia," Lestat said coldly, "Louis tomorrow, you
and I alone will be going to the Blue Ribbon Ball."

"Alone, but Clauida," Louis said startled, "She loves the ball."

"Claudia can remain here at home," Lestat insisted.

"I'd rather go about on my own devices," Claudia said thrilled,
"Please papa, I'll be fine."

"I guess it settled then," Louis said, this time not choosing to shy
away from the hand Lestat put on his shoulder. Louis smiled up at
Lestat, his smile growing a little more deeper, more meaningful. He
then turned his head away, remembering all the accusations he made
against Lestat, some not true, some all too painfully true. Lestat
caressed Louis' shoulder, tying to reassure Louis. Bending his head
down to meet Louis' they both exchanged a cautious chaste kiss.

"What did you think of those elephants cherie?" Lestat said gently to
her. The whole room seemed to glow with a sweet kind of comfort for
them all.

"They were as fat as that lady you took the night before," Claudia
said sticking her dainty pink tongue at him.

"And their noses were as big as that old priest's you took at Saint
Louis' cathedral," Lestat laughed, "Cherie, you're pretty tonight,"
he swiftly threw her a kiss which she pretended to catch.

Carrying her to their coffin, Louis laid down with her on his chest.
Carefully, he closed the lid, "Father," she whispered, "Tell me what
will it be like when I fall in love with someone?"

"It will be like you fell in a well of confusion," Clauida, Louis
whispered in the dark.

A well of confusion, Claudia thought, Ah, father, again you give me
as little information about life as Lestat does.

She laid quietly playing with the ruffles of his shirt, and the
brocade of his great coat, thinking before her eyes closed from
death's quest and extinguish of her wakefulness. What would it be
like to fall in love with Jean? Would he treat me kindly with respect
and tenderness? Would he make me cry? Would he hit me? Often times, I
have sit hidden in mortal homes, watching the going ons between
husband and wives. How sometimes it seemed they didn't even notice
each other. Sometimes, mortal couple fight as if they hated each
other. Sometimes they are very nice to each other, those kind of
couples are the most fun to watch. Then sometimes they hold each
other, and thrust at each other like two dogs out in the street. My
own parents. I know of mortal men who make love, at least I suppose
it to be love. They lick and suck at each other's privates. And
sometimes one mounts the other. She tried to picture it. Lestat?
Louis? Non, never, not then, not ever. They do not love each other as
lovers. Did they ever? she wondered, Before I was born?

It as so nice for a moment there, when we were a little bit happy of
a happy family. Is it my fault those moments do not seem to last as
long as we all wish for, she thought, wiping her face.

Chapter 5

Her eyes opened to a press of darkness. Darkness disturbed by a very
faint light. The only thing which shone in the coffin was the pale
light emanating from herself and her father. A light only fit for
vampire eyes to witness.

I wonder what he's doing right now? Claudia thought dreamily on
Louis' chest, Will Jean be there waiting for me? What will we find to
talk about?

Starting to hum a nonsensical tune to herself, she thought, What if
he wants to kiss me? What will it be like? Will I like it? Do I want
him to kiss me? Should I kiss him first? He's a mortal. He nothing
but a mortal. Why should I care about such matters?

Fumbling at Louis clothing she reached down timidly touching his
slumbering member between his legs. She pulled her hand away quickly;
she was more afraid of what she was doing than she was curious.

Puckering her lips, she experimented on the palm of her hand.
Glancing up at her father's handsome face, she saw his lips were
parted. She found the temptation to be too great. Thinking of Jean's
face how it looked under the gas light, pale, almost greenish, she
slid her head along the lid of the coffin causing it to open a
little, creeping slowly up to her father's lips, she firmly kissed
him as passionately as she thought a mortal woman would kiss a lover.

The coffin lid flew open. Stifling her screams with his hand, Lestat
grabbed her arm, dragging her out.

"Stop, stop," Claudia tried to scream as he carried her away into his
bedroom.

Screaming hysterically underneath his hand, she struggled in vain.
Desperately she tried to bite him She couldn't believe or understand
why he was so angry with her.

His long nails ripped opened the bodice of silk covering her chest,
exposing her small, flat nipples. Angrily, the clothing was brutally
torn away with a hiss till nothing was left of the taffeta, the silk,
ribbons, and bows, but rags upon the oriental rug.

"Look at yourself," Lestat sad softly, pushing her away from him.
"Look at yourself in the mirror."

Ashamed, holding back tears at the edge of her eyes, she saw in the
full length mirror a naked, trembling child hiding her nonexistent
breasts under one arm, one hand pressed flat against her childish
sex.

"Who can love you as you are in this guise? No one, no one who is
normal," Lestat said sadly, "Listen to me Claudia, if you want to be
loved your mind mustn't age in this doll's shell of yours. Be our
little girl, otherwise."

"Otherwise what?" Claudia said bemused, letting her arms fall to her
sides so she was fully revealed. "Otherwise, I'm nothing to you?
Didn't you create me?" she said slowly circling him, "Did you create
me out of love? Or was it to spite the one you couldn't hold on to
without me? You needed me didn't you to keep Louis captive in your
house, didn't you?"

He watched her with chilled fascination as she spin around like a
child playing at being a top, her hairless sex, her baby fat,
unnatural in it's porcelain perfection, she was a living sculpture of
a child, beautiful oui, not as a woman, but as a sacred innocent to
love, not to desire nor to passionately hold.

"Father, who am I to love if not you, or papa? Haven't the both of
you molded me, prodded me, shaped me to be your perfect companion at
the kill and in life? Now father, why not love. me too?"

"Claudia, I love you," Lestat said weakly, picking up her torn rags,
tossing them in the fire. Shakily, going to his wardrobe closet, he
pulled out one of his white shirts, "Stand still," he ordered
dressing her with it. The shirt hung over her shoulders, trailing on
the floor.

"Father," she whispered, clasping his face with her hands, "Look at
me all in white. Am I not meant to be your bride. A virgin? I'm not.
Why do you think I kissed my Louis? My Louis. He has been my lover
for years"

"You lie, Claudia," Lestat said in a low hushed voice, smoothing out
her hair, "You can not be telling the truth. You have no idea what
you are speaking of."

"This is not enough for me," she whispered, her face held the passion
of demons, "I need more than this existence. There is no surprises,
no challenges. . Your dolls that you insist on giving me are hollow.
I am not. I am full of feelings, and I feel this isn't enough for me
your brand of so called love. I hate you for creating me to be a
deformity. I would have preferred death with my mother. Being
entombed alive in this thirsty coffin of a body you buried me alive
in is more hateful to me than death!"

Laughing at the horror on Lestat's face, impishly Claudia seductively
smiled at him, letting the shirt fall of her tender, small shoulder.
"Father, Louis has taught me things." she said in a low purr of a
voice, goaded by the fear in his eyes, "Teach me more, of you dare.
Is is possible you can finally each me something of value about
myself?"

"Louis!" Lestat roared, causing Claudia to shut her ears.

Hurrying out of the room, slamming the door on Claudia, Lestat few
into Louis' bedroom.

"Lestat," Louis said, one leg out of his coffin, "You know I do not
allow you into my room. Where is Claudia?"

"Where indeed," Lestat yelled, raising his hand, slapping Louis
straight in the face, cracking his cheek bone.

Vaulting out of his coffin, Louis barely dodged another shattering
blow to his face. Kicking his boot into Lestat's groin, he cursed
him, "Damn you, what have I done?"

Doubling over, coughing in pain, Lestat then bounced up, slamming his
fist under Louis' jaw, sending him to be sprawled out on the bed.
"What do you do to her when you're alone together?" Lestat cried in a
tight voice, near to weeping.

"Do to her?' Louis cried out amazed.

"Are you lovers? Or are you not? Tell me the truth, else I'll beat it
out of you, you bastard."

"We are lovers," Louis said slowly, defeated, "I love her as a
teacher, a guide. What I feel for her is platonic I kiss her. That's
all I do to her."

"And me. You kiss me too, oui, am I your platonic lover then?" Lestat
said quietly, putting his hand to the burning heat of Louis' bruised
face. "Once and for all what do you feel for me? Do you have any
feelings at all?"

Lestat," Louis said, pulling away, "Leave what I feel for you be."

"Do you have any feelings for me at all?" Lestat insisted miserably.
Pinning Louis to the bed, parting his legs with his knee, he forced
Louis to look at him.

Louis gasped at the bite of Lestat's fangs at his lips. Soulfully,
Louis licked at the blood drawn between them.

"Claudia," Louis whispered, pushing at Lestat's chest, "What were you
accusing me of doing with Claudia?"

Lestat shivered as if he was trapped in a fever. He remembered long
ago how as a child he used to sleep with his father for comfort from
bad dreams he would have of falling till one night His father always
welcomed him to his bed, holding him close. Lestat knew his father
was as lonely as he was. Sometimes they would talk before they slept.
Lestat almost screamed out loud from the memory of it, the pain, the
fingers fumbling at him, and the brutal force, the feeling afterwards
of having someone being stolen from him, his father, his father was
stolen from him, and now he faced a stranger ever after that night.
An ashamed stranger who could not look him in the eye. Lestat's place
in the bed after that one night was filled with a series of young
maids from the kitchen. Girls he knew his mother felt nothing but
contempt for. And he had no place to go after his nightmares. After
that he lived alone in a house full of so-called family. Nothing was
left to him, not even the lover his father became to him the night he
betrayed his trust. .He thought of Claudia being in Louis' arms. It
will happen, he thought, The two of them are drawn together, out of
sheer loneliness someday the two of them will soon be lovers. I can
sense it, And I will be alone in my family once again. Claudia is
right, who else but Louis for her? How else can I atone to them both,
for putting her on the Devil's Road, but by letting their affair
progress. Louis is not my father, he'll be kind to her, and he'll
love her. How will she feel if you and I leave this room as lovers at
last? She would feel abandoned. So be it.

In a voice he forced to sound calm, he said, "Claudia said you love
her. And so you do, is it not true cher? Love her, please do, I made
her for you, Didn't I?"

"I do love Claudia," Louis said, "How can you ask me to love her when
I already do? You're not making any sense Lestat."

Pulling himself off of Louis, Lestat said quietly, "I can't live like
this with the two of you any longer."

"What do you mean Lestat? You can't leave us."

"Non, why would I be so heartless, I need a lover of my own. And I
decided a long time ago it mustn't be you," Lestat said as kindly as
he could.

"But, why?"

"You ask why? As cold as we've been to each other. You ask me why? I
saved your life. When I first tried to embrace you, you pulled away
from me. I'm a coward Louis. I made too many mistakes after that
initial rejection. Claudia will always need someone to love her. I
did not create her to be lonely and abandoned. I will not come
between the two of you. I need more than two fledglings reluctant to
love me. I need a lover who is in love with me, not someone who just
loves me. So does Claudia, and so do you. I will never be in love
with you Louis. I will always be fond of you," Lestat said, thinking,
I do love you cher, now and forever. But it has to be over, it has to
be! Not that it ever truly began.

Louis looked at him stunned, "I always will be fond of you too. I
understand."

Non," Lestat thought, You'll never understand.

"Perhaps, Louis for her sake you should stop thinking of her as your
daughter," Lestat said in a low voice. "If she's in love with you and
I know she is, perhaps for both your sakes you should be in love with
her."

Leaving the room, he found Claudia fearfully waiting for him. Her
small legs pacing the hall, "Father, I, please. I was angry,
understand Louis did nothing wrong. I swear it. I swear it."

Falling to his his knees, Lestat embraced her, trying to hug her
anxieties away, "How could you think I would ever dream of hurting
Louis? Cherie, you are growing up. And as much as I wish it were not
true, I can't stop you. Look at me. He's yours cherie. Yours to love.
Make him love you if you can. I wish the both of you well."

Swooping down, he kissed her forehead. He left out the door.

What do you mean he's mine? I already know that he mine. Do you
mean?, she wondered to herself. Excited, she dashed to her bedroom
quickly dressing herself, putting on her hooded cloak. Louis was
trying to read a book. A look of dull misery on his face.

"Father," she said pulling her hood over her face, "I'm going out."

"Do you want me to come along? It looks like my date with Lestat to
go to the ball has been canceled," Louis said, trying to appear
cheerful just for her sake, putting the book down. He thought of what
Lestat had implied to him, I cannot be her lover, she is my daughter.
How can he be so cruel to suggest such an ugly thing to me? I will
never have a lover, never. I failed in my responsibility to take care
of Paul, I will not fail Claudia.. None of this is her fault. All of
it, her kills, I would demand God to blame me for, and not her. She's
the only thing I will live for.

You'd sacrifice yourself for me wouldn't you? Your very self, Claudia
thought. Touched, going to him, she hugged his knees, "Non, mon pere,
Tonight I wish to be alone."

She fairly flew out of Rue Royal, her heels clattering on the
cobblestone. Exotic banana trees leaves shifted and swayed in the
soft, humid breeze, the leaves of cotton wood trees shook at her
nervous laughter. Flowers grew profusely in the gardens of mortals.
Fearlessly, she pounced on a man, leaving him dry in a place where
wild roses and runners of jasmine grew. A lonely place where mortals
did not plant. She slowed down her run to a human stroll. There in
the alley, as if after she left him there just a moment ago was Jean
waiting for her for forever if he had to. His copper red hair glowing
over his freckles.

"I thought you'd never show up," he cried, "Are you ready then for a
bit of fun?"

"I've been ready and waiting far too long for fun," she whispered to
soft for him to hear. Embarrassed, she blurted out, "Ready for what?"

"To got to church with me,' the young scoundrel teased, tossing a bag
at her.

"To church?" she said blankly, "I've never been inside a church."

"Never been?" he mocked her, "My, I'm in the company of a bad little
demon." Scooping down to be eye to eye to her, he said softly, "We
are going to go to Saint Louis'. There are gold bells which which
altar boys ring during the consecration of the host. From what one of
the boys have told me, Father Racine keeps them hidden in a box in
his office."

"What do you need with such bells?" Claudia said, "Look here." She
spilled out coins from her pocket, "I stole these for you," she said,
telling the truth, for that was the reason why even more than hunger,
she had just recently finished killing a man for his pretty coins
rather than for his blood.

"Pick pocket did you?" Jean whistled.

"Oui," she said, her heart beating deliciously fast.

"Ah, they hang little girls for such a dire crime. Even the pretty
ones."

"I'm not a little girl," she cried tensely, "haven't I impressed that
upon you yet?'

Laughing, Jean, patted her curls, "You took them from one of the
gents you live with. I warrant Neither one of them are your father.
Through the blond one resembles you a bit. I know his type. His type
goes to the child brothels. What did he keep urging you to do with
me? Is he the type who likes to watch? Does he use you Claudia? Is
he, well, is he a pervert? Claudia are you in trouble?" he said now
serious, "Do you need help? You can stay with me and my parents.
We've been know to take in a stray or two."
Chapter 6

"Non, I'm not in trouble, they are my fathers, they adopted me. As a
doll for them to play with I suppose. As the family history goes my
father Louis was going to leave my father Lestat. Lestat adopted me
and Louis, he became enchanted with me. They both became enchanted
with me, through they can barely stand each other it sometimes seems.
If Lestat does go to a children's brothel he would only go there for
a light snack."

"Is that what he calls what he does? How disgusting," Jean cried.

"It was merely a joke, Jean. Neither one of them hurts me, or touches
me. They've become afraid of me because I am a grown up, yet I can't
grow," Claudia lifted her arm over her head, "I can't grow up."

"Good let them be afraid of you if they can't accept you for what you
are." Jean said furiously, "Put your coins away Claudia. You haven't
impressed me by far, not yet."

"But we are partners, take half the coins, "Claudia pleaded. The hard
metal pressed into her hand. Never had money had such meaning to her.

"It's the adventure of it all girl. And we shall have our adventure!"

Chasing after him to Saint Louis' cathedral, Claudia stopped. She
gawked up at the huge steeple of the crix-a-form church. The enormous
wooden doors of the cathedral seemed ready to bite her if she dared
touch them with her profane, little, undead hands.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid then?" Jean whispered.

"Non," Claudia whispered back, climbing up the stairs. She paused at
the doors, thinking, My fathers spared me a religious education, but
still I know enough about saints. Don't my victims often call on the
Saint Jesus, Mary, or Sabastain to save them before they die? All I
know of Christ is he was someone who looked strangely pretty on
lovely roseries, and he died to forgive people for being bad. It
seems to me a strange way of going about giving mortals redemption by
hanging on a cross for bad people. Why not just kill the evil doers,
and make everyone in the world behave themselves or else? Maybe
killing evil doers is the role a vampire plays for Christ, if there
was a Christ. Through I kind of doubt it. Otherwise, He wouldn't have
made innocent people taste so good! I can remember my mother believed
in Christ, most dying people do. I can hear her sometimes asking me
to forgive her.

Claudia nervously took a step back.

"Saint Michael the slayer of devil will fall at you, and tear you to
ribbons with his sword. Wait I see him. He's waiting for you up in
the rafters. There he is looking through the stained glass window
right at you Run before I open the door!" Jean teased.

"I shall spit in the eye of any angel who dares to try to menace me,"
Claudia cried, entering.

The solumn glitter and gold of the altar hurt her vampire eyes. The
statures, plaster, all gorgeous, smooth, were too intimidating to
touch.

A Saint Joseph stood on a pedestal, a stature of a young boy cling to
his robes. She supposed it to be a boy through his face was too
beautiful and gentle to be either mortal gender. Saint Joseph held a
lily in his arms. The symbol for his spiritual wife his lover, the
virgin. Through his eyes were flat and lifeless some how how she felt
more kin to him than the fleshy mortal boy who was staring at her
impatiently.

Saint Joseph's eyes seemed kind at first, then she felt as if the
stature was impossibly mocking her.

"Ouch, let go of my hand do you want to break it? How can you be so
strong? Jean whispered into her ear, "I'm going to go to confession,
the old ladies in here watch everything. I need to create a
diversion. When I do, you run to the door, and up the stairs.
Understand?"

"Oui," Claudia whispered taking a seat at one of the long pews.
Confused at what to do, she took her cue from a group of old ladies
who were indeed piercing her with disapproving glances. The women
were moving their beads one by one, muttering the rosary.

Clasping her hands, she muttered the words along with them, watching
beneath her long lashes as Jean went inside the box.

"Bless me father for I have sinned," Jean said, breathlessly into a
small square grilled opening.

"When was your last confession my son?"

"Christmas, Father. I have been having sinful thoughts about girls."

"Have you acted upon those thoughts?" Father Rene whispered, "I find
it son, healthy to immerse myself in prayer, hard work, and charity.
A girl is not something to take advantage of with your mind or your
eyes,. A girl should be loved as someone who could be you future
wife, the mother of your future children."

"Father, my stomach hurts, I think I'm going to be sick."

Jamming his fingers into his throat, Jean's stomach up heaved. Vomit
choked out of his mouth, throwing open the door, he jerked his head
at Claudia, his knees collapsed his body crumbled into a faint.

Flinging open the door of the confessional, Father Rene grabbed
Jean's wrist, taking his pulse.

"Quickly, he cried to the old women, "Get me some water so I can
reprieve him."

"Holy Water!" the scandalized old woman cried in her black shawl.

"Any water. This is an emergency," Father yelled.

Running to the holy water front, the old woman hurried to the boy,
tossing the contents in his face, her older sisters following her.

Jean was surrounded by humans all in black, all clucking over him,
patting his face, rubbing at his wrists.

Claudia swallowed the hard temptation to laugh outloud, and to run to
him, pat his cheeks, and add her voice to the uproar.

Getting down, and crawling on all fours to the door, she soundlessly
opened it. Hurrying up the stairs, she found a room filled with
religious texts and crucifixes. Discovering a wooden box decorated
with a crowned lamb, she tore it open. She held her breath at the
radiant gleam of the string of small bells on a chain of equally
valuable gold. Money was also in the box. Happily, she threw
everything in the bag. She heard something at the window.

Opening the window, she could see Jean down below.

"Toss me the bag," he cried in a low voice.

"Non, I'm frightened," she lied, "Come up here and save me. There is
a rat in this room."

"Do you have the bells?"

"Non, I tell you there is a rat in this room, I'm afraid," she cried,
going away from the window, she dropped the bag filled with the bells
and money to the floor. She scurried round, finding a real rat hiding
from her underneath a table cloth. Dashing at the stunned mammal, she
picked it up by it's skinny tail dangling it front of her eyes,
swinging it like a hairy pendulum. Driving her fangs in its hairy
fur, she drained him, till he was dry and empty. Brutally, she tossed
the dead animal over her shoulder. Pretending to cry, she could hear
Jean talking to the priest down stairs about his missing sister.

"Jean, Jean," she sobbed, barreling down the stairs, holding on the
bag filled with treasures, "I was chasing a cat! There's a rat up
there!"

"We have to be going , sis," Jean growled, "Mother and father are
going to be worried about us."

"Oui, let's leave," Claduda said,

"Do not be frightened of the rat upstairs," Father said kindly, "I
made him into a pet for myself. My dear cat, Celeste, she was afraid
of him till she decided to accept him. She's more of a mouser that a
rat catcher. Are you feeling better son?"

"Ouis, father, merci, come along sister," he ordered, taking her
hand.

"Wait I haven't given you your penance. Three Hail a Mary's, and two
Our Fathers," the priest said, and you're forgiven my son."

"Thank you Father," Jean said cheerfully.

Once outside they ran down the street, dodging carriages and people
on fine horses. Finally at an alley, they stopped, leaning against a
wall, Jean huffed and puffed.

"Damn you, damn you," he whispered laughing, "What trick were you
playing? Did you think I would desert you up there? Take the gold,
and run? I pray God you left the gold up there."

"You came for me and not the gold? Why? Didn't you want the gold!"

"Who is he going to suspect now if not us? You were the last one up
there. He saw you carrying the bag!"

"He'll suspect the old women, the altar boys! Who cares, this is
ours," she squealed, pulling out the bells to shine under the gas
light of the hanging lamp overhead.

"Put it back," he whispered, "Come on we must go to the circus."

They traveled through the night, laughing and playing, making fun of
some poor whores who made fun of them first. The whores ended up
chasing them. Turning on the ladies they tossed rocks at them,
sending them cursing, screaming away.

Once they made it to the circus, they entered into one of the smaller
tents, "This is for you," Jean said to a man who was but a half man,
his arms were flippers, his whiskers stiff and sharp from starch
being added to them to make him even more look like a human walrus.
His shiny scalp gleamed along with the candles.

Marie," he called to his wife.

"Oui, Galen?" A slender, not attractive, but normal woman came into
the tent. Through she was plain, had a long nose, and her teeth were
crooked, her eyes were arrestingly expressive. Bangles, feathers, and
glitter took away her plainness, giving her appearence a wonderful
bravado. "Ah the gold you promised us. We shall melt it down tonight
and turn it into nuggets. Fantastic dear Jean."

"My parents?" Jean said nervously.

"Performing. Do not be afraid of they're finding out. Our lips are
sealed are they not out of necessity? Would your parents not throw us
out for our chancery?" Marie said, hugging handsome Jean like she was
his sister.

A man emancipated, his head on a tower of bones, his eyes lively in
his skull face, took the bells. Putting them in a smelter pot, he
added more coals to the flames.

Smoke filled the small tent. A baby started to whine.

"I must remove Jacques before he chokes," Marie said cheerfully,
picking up the healthy, infant, stopping to kiss her husband's bald
pate, she threw Claudia a envious glance for the beauty of her
clothes, wishing she could dress her own six year old daughter,
Catherine, just as pretty.

"Who is your little friend?" the man said with flippers, eyeing
Caudia cautiously. He slid down out of his chair, landing with clumsy
thud. With his rudimentary legs, he waddled up to her, holding out
his deformed hand for her to shake.

"She a friend," Jean said carelessly, "A very dear one who deserves a
treat. Let's break into the opera buffino."

"That is too risque' for children," the bald man scolded.

"Not for us," Claudia said, surprised to find tht she liked the man
despite his ugliness. With a burst of generiousity she cried, "Here,
there is money too." Claudia thrilled at the pleased look on his
wrinkled face. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Feeling
embarassed, she stopped being such a child, and tried to look
sophisticated.

"Money too!" Galen said, taking it from the bag, "Indeed Claudia you
are our lucky charm."

As they walked out, she said, happily to Jean, "Merci. Never have I
enjoyed myself more."

"Sure merci to me now, curse me later when we both end up dancing at
the end of a rope," he worried, "You should have trusted me, Claudia
and thrown down the bag. No more games between us. Partners
understand? And also Claudia I only promised Galen the bells. You
should not have told him about the money. We could have kept that to
ourselves."

"Do not worry about that small change I gave your friend. Do not
trouble yourself with the priest and with us hanging from the
gallows," Claudia said, anticipating what a pleasant taste the priest
would have to his innocent blood. She wondered if Father Rene was as
chaste as he pretended to be, if so, his taste would be magnificent!

"Anything can happen?" Jean said.

"Oui, anything, merci for not trying to carry me, it seems everyone I
know carries me around. Merci," Claudia said, taking his hand.

Chapter 7

"I lived long enough with people who insist on doing everything
themselves," Jean said smiling, "You haven't any need of my help to
keep up with me, Claudia."

"The woman, Marie, how can she?"

"Have a family with a man such as the famous Monsieur Galen, the
magnificent half man? He loves her and treats her well. That's the
spell he has on her A beautiful magical spell She once was a homeless
one thrown out by her family when they could not afford to feed her
She became adopted by the circus, and she returned his kindness with
her kindness and they married Do you think only beautiful people can
cause someone to fall in love with them?"

"So it seems I've been taught" Claudia said "I, I always hated people
with deformities. I despised looking at them. It felt too
uncomfortably like I was looking at myself. Other freaks made me more
aware of what I am. Jean, people, when they look at me they see
child. And I pretend to be a child. Why? To fit in. I feel so
terribly afraid of people's pity, their scorn, their laughter at me"

"You mean the way you suppose people pity my parents? Oui, Claudia
they laugh at the man with flippers doing something as simple as
drinking a cup of tea. Monsieur Galen makes a performance out of
life. They pity the wretched skeleton man. Marvel at my small parents
wanting to touch them to see if they are real. People laugh at them,
and pity them, till they take the time out to know them. Then, they
see people who are different, like my parents, are just as human as
they are, and have feelings too. Claudia, you mustn't pretend to be a
child. You must use the courage I saw tonight at the church. You'll
be a better person than those who you fear."

In the darkness he couldn't see the color of the savage red tear
which dropped down her cheek. "Fine words Jean, but who would ever
love someone like me?" Claudia scoffed.

"Claudia. lay down with me on the slope of the hill."

Laying amongst the clover and grass, they stared up at the buildings
around them. New Orleans was still very young and tender, and had
oases of trees and grass amongst it's grand buildings and hovels.
Slowly through, the town was devouring such oases.

"Claudia," Jean said, "Would you like me to show you at least what a
small part of love can be like?"

"What part would that be?" Claudia asked, her arms folded against the
satin of her bodice. "The part my fathers have shown me so far is a
platonic love. I suppose that's the only kind my fathers think is
possible for a creature like me up until now, " Claudia hugged her
knees her hair falling gracefully around her shoulders, "My father,
Lestat, has given me permission to make my father, Louis, to be my
lover."

"You have to be fooling with me now," Jean laughed in disbelief,
touching her shoulder.

"I thought about it. I really did. Even fantasized about it. I was
attracted to Louis. But, to actually be his lover? Once he was
offered to me, I felt non, impossible! He isn't new enough, different
enough. I would feel foolish trying to really seduce him. When I do
flirt with him, later I laugh about it. He's the same old silly
father. You know I feel sometimes like I heard it all from my
parents. Other times I feel like they've told me nothing important. I
feel whatever I didn't, or do not want to learn from them I will have
to learn from someone else."

"I think I know what you mean. From my parents I have only learned
what it is like to live the circus life. I sometimes wonder what
other people's lives are like," Jean said.

"Besides, despite it all, I really think they love each other. And so
passionately! It's like they are silently screaming at each other.
Screaming silently so loudly neither of the other can understand each
other, " Claudia laughed bemused "At least that is what I think. They
are charming to watch as they shirt around each other. When they are
not infuriating me, they make me laugh and laugh at them."

"I suppose my parents infuriate me sometimes. But, neither one wants
the other to be my lover," Jean said amazed at her words. "They love
each other very much. They love my sister and me too. Claudia how can
you stand such strangeness? Your life is the oddity, not your
statue."

"I know, I know," Claudia breathed in the smell of him, all mortal
and sweaty more sweet than any flower melting languidly in the humid
New Orleans air. It made her dazed to anything but a wild hunger to
love him.

"If you are so afraid to die, why then do you steal?"

"Who isn't afraid to die?" Jean said, a lock of his hair falling over
his eye. "Don't you like to live your life tensely? Stealing makes me
feel." He jumped up, walking away a little, then he spun around, "It
makes me feel alive. Clever, important. It makes me feel
outstandingly tricky. I like being adventurous," His head tilted
back, a silly smile was on his young face, his freckled nose in the
air.

You look pompous, and so pretty, I mean so handsome, Claudia thought,
loving him all the more for his air of self importance. Thief of
hearts steal me my away from my fathers. Claudia thought resolutely,
It's true, girls fall in love with boys. And then, they leave their
parents behind them for a new life. That is what is normal. What I'm
supposed to do.

"I was surprised how much pleasure I got from making Monsieur Galen
happy. I too felt clever and accomplished," Claudia said smiling,
"Don't be afraid of dying while doing a hangman's dance. You will not
die." She was already happily scheming to make it look like Father
Rene ran away forever with the bells.

Perhaps, I kill one of the old women in black too, she thought
gloriously happy, Then they will think that Father Rene fell madly in
love with her, and they ran away together to live happily ever after.
All the people in New Orleans will be scandalized with the naughty
wickedness of the happy couple. Everyone will think it all to be so
terrible and romantic. Perhaps some of them will even wish Father
Rene and her well.

"I think sometimes, I just feel like I'll live forever," Jean
laughed, flopping back down beside her. "Isn't that how you feel? How
can two clever people like ourselves die, Claudia? Impossible."

"Oui, I do feel like it's impossible, " Claudia cried, taking his
larger hand. "Why do you like me?" Claudia whispered "What is it
about me that you like?"

"You like to ask questions," Jean said.

"I have to ask how else will I learn?" Claudia pressed him.

"We're two peas in a pod you know," Jean said intimately, leaning
back on his elbows, looking at her earnestly. "I'm the product, I
suppose, of what people would call two monsters. I move around from
town to town with only my own company and the circus people. I do not
think you have many friends Claudia, nor do I."

"Jean," Claudia whispered her lips at his throat, "You mustn't move
away. Neither one of us need be lonely ever again. There is a way for
us to be together."

"Claudia," Jean's voice sang over the breeze. Moaning, he felt the
sharpness of her kiss penetrating his skin like small daggers. Heat
and liquid danced on her tongue. His maleness stood aroused between
his adolescent legs trapped by his breeches. Biting harder, the aroma
of his dying made her swoon with tears. "Jean," she begged, her wet
face pressed against his "Listen to me," she implored him, cutting
into her wrists with her sharp nails.

"Drink, Jean," Claudia cried, blood sweat beading on her face. The
agony of his sucking mouth pulled at her heart, sending spasms of
pains throughout her as painful as any pains any birthing mother
would feel.. She gasped, the pain ebbed to a sensual pleasure which
made her whole body and mind throb and quicken. Her nerves were
dancing with joy in her small shape. She felt herself tense down
there between her legs where she never felt such pleasure before. Her
whole body felt like one magnificent feeling of tenseness and
release. She didn't understand what to call it. She just knew it felt
good and right.

"Louis," Lestat whispered coming upon where Louis was hiding, and had
been watching Claudia and Jean the whole time. "What is going on? "
Lestat asked. "Why are you hiding here?"

Louis turned his eyes from Claudia and Jean, his face held a fear in
it which alarmed Lestat to almost becoming frantic. Before Lestat
could say something, Louis put his finger to his lips silencing
Lestat.

Jean's eyes now bright slivers of moonlight showing in his
fledgling's face. Throwing her off, Jean roared. His mouth tore at
Claudia's throat. Clawing desperately at his face, Claudia screamed .
His nails dug into her arms. Her bones popped out of her sockets.

A wail of pure agony ripped out of his throat his eyes exploded,
emptiness was where his trusting eyes once had been. Biting into his
bloated, deformed tongue, he cut it off. The bloody appendage fell on
top of her face. Blood streamed out left and right from the holes of
his pores of his skin. Now without sound he screamed, and screamed.
He shivered up into a blackened skeleton.

"Jean, Jean," Claudia shirked.

"How could have you have just stood there spying on them! You should
have stopped her. You should have stopped her," Lestat cried. "Why
didn't you interfere?"

"Claudia," Louis yelled, ignoring Lestat. Louis threw the dying
vampire from off of her.

"He died, he died" Claudia said in shock, "Why didn't it work?"

"His veins must have collapsed. You're too small. You didn't provide
his heart with enough blood, he had a stroke. First, he lost his
mind. Then his heart died, his brain, everything died, Claudia,"
Louis said. holding her tight. "I'm so sorry."

"Why! Why, didn't you tell this would happen? Why father?" Claudia
wept, making his shirt bloody with her tears.

"Claudia, I wasn't sure this would happen," Louis pleaded, "This is
all my fault. I should have stopped you. Claudia, I didn't know this
would happen. I love you. I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you help Jean with your blood!" Claudia demanded coldly,
slapping Louis' face.

"It was too late. I would have, but it was too late," Louis begged,
"It all happened too fast. Claudia, it was your choice to make him
your lover. I didn't know if I should be involved. I didn't know if
it would be right to make another," Louis said horrified.

"Another blood sucking monster like me, like us!" Claudia cried,
tears running down her eyes. "And so you just watched, not wanting to
be involved again in such an abnormality, a sin against mortal
humanity. Was that what you thought? Are you glad he's dead!"

"Claudia," Lestat said gently, "Do not blame him. Please, neither of
us knew for sure what would happen."

"You, Louis, I forgive, once again, and again, because you didn't
want me to be the monster I am, did you?" Claudia screamed, "You,
Lestat, I will never forgive you! You did this to me! You created me!
Is it worth it to see me suffer as I am suffering! I hate you! Why!"

"I created you because I wanted you both," Lestat said sadly.

"Don't lie, Father of Lies. Tell the whole truth. You wanted me
because you wanted him. Fine, then let us both, Louis, let us both be
punishments to him Let us give him to hell," Claudia said, calmly,
staring with pure anger at Lestat.

"Take her home She's delirious. She doesn't know what she is saying,"
Lestat ordered, loving them, fearing them both, "I will deal with the
remains."

"Let me deal with the remains," Claudia cried hotly," He was my
lover, my friend, the only kind of a child I can have! I will deal
with Jean. No love remains between us, Lestat. Do you hear me father,
not a drop remains between us!"

"Take her home, Damn you, Louis, take her home," Lestat cried on the
verge of tears.

"Lestat, please, I" Louis said wanting to stay and hold him also.
Stroking Claudia's hair, patting her as comfortingly as he could,
Louis thought, I know where my responsibility must always lie. And it
will always lie with our child.

Wiping her tears with his handkerchief, Louis took her away, leaving
Lestat alone to his misery.

Once they were out of sight, Lestat's chest shook with helpless sobs.
"You're still alive," he whispered, putting his hand to Jean's
wounded face, "I didn't have the heart to tell them the horrible
truth. You're still very much alive. My blood, no one's blood, is
strong enough to bring back your sanity." Lestat started to dig a
shallow grave.

"Poor child, this is no way for any of our kind to die," he whispered
to the victim. Only Lestat's powerful hearing could hear the insane
cries of agony in the Jean's body as he tenderly put him into the
earth. Fearfully, with his rapier he cut off the living skull,
praying that if the beheading did hurt, the boy's brains now severed
from most of his nerves in his body was now beyond suffering.
Throwing a match into the grave, he watched the skeletal remains
sizzle, dance and shrivel in the flames, he watched the boy burn as
Armand watched too from his hiding place.

Wiping bloody tears from his face with his sleeve, Lestat ran from
the grave before Armand could say a word to him.

Armand walked to the edge of the grave. The flames swayed inside the
shallow depression. "Disaster, my poor, foolish friend, disaster,"
Armand said kicking dirt into the grave, "with you, my dear lover,
Lestat, only the very best of disasters."

Stumbling through the alleys, unaware Armand was chasing him, Lestat
wished the world would become a snake to devour him completely.
Instead, music which fed right into the grief of his hurt and
tarnished soul. Music devoured the rough sounds of the din of a
constant dying humanity continuously crowding underneath his
thoughts.

Knocking on the door of the small hovel, seeking out a different
source of nourishment, a nourishment of the soul, he put his forehead
against the wood, praying for whoever was in there to hurry and open
the damn door.

The music stopped. A young man let him in. Lestat almost fell in his
arms.

"What's the matter?" Stephen cried, "Let me support you my poor
friend before you fall down. Were you attacked by cutthroats?"

"A funeral, I came from a funeral," Lestat mumbled, "Cut throat, non,
no one has harmed me. It is I who cuts the throats, " he laughed
maniacally, "Your music. It matches my mood. Dark, troubled,
turbulent. Could you play it for me, merci? I will pay you, but ask
for your price, and I will pay you in gold."

""First let me help you to my bed," Stephen said, "I have no place
else for you to sit."

The walls were painted in a fantastical black with blots of silver
for stars. The room reeked of starvation and sour wine. The boy of
twenty one years his face was almost hid behind waves of fine, whisky
amber, brown hair tied back to hang down to his waist. He looked
totally uncared for, shabby, and radiantly beautiful with his dreamy,
lost looking, brown eyes, and a loose, liquid, ripe mouth. "Here," he
said, leading Lestat through the sheet papers tossed about on the
floor, "You look like you could use a drink." He helped Lestat to lay
back on his cot.

"This blankets you are putting over me are as thin as you," Lestat
laughed, while Stephen put the smelly cloth over his shoulders.

"Perhaps I may freeze to death next winter with the rest of the poor
scarecrows," Stephen said cheerfully, "You, my friend, how can you be
so chilled when it is so sticky out tonight?" He rubbed briskly at
Lestat's arms. "Would you like a drink of my wine? It's nasty, my
friend. You'll spit it out before you can even swallow it. Who died?"

"A stranger who was beloved of a loved one," Lestat said, starting to
cry, laying his head on the boy's dirty shoulder.

Chapter 8

"Monsieur, your eyes! They are bleeding," Stephen cried alarmed.

"Non, I, play for me please. I beg of you. I will not hurt you if you
promise to play for me."

"Why would you hurt me?" Stephen whispered confused.

Going to the piano, he played the notes of a wild reckless waltz. A
grim reaper of a waltz, Lestat could envision the diety Death in the
rise and fall of the beats and melodies of the music. Death doing a a
dance, raising his scythe to salute Lestat, the bountiful Lestat who
provided him with so many subjects to his dire kingdom, Graven, busy
worms peeked out from Death's ribs and pelvis as he swirled around in
his robe.

Raising the wine bottle to his vision of Death, Lestat laughed and
wept at the playful friendly vision.

"Monsieur, this music is over," Stephen said, quietly. The dream of a
prancing Death disappeared, leaving the living and the undead in its
wake.

"What if I do not want the music to be over? Come here. Look at me.
Look at my glass nails, look at my fangs," Lestat said in a low
threatening voice.

Going to him, Stephen knelt at his feet taking his hands. "I dreamed
of you. I wrote this song for you, and now I finally have played it
for you," Stephen said softly, "And now you will tell me why you
weep? For I'm not afraid of you."

"Why shouldn't you be?" Lestat said astonished, tracing his long nail
on his face, "I have a partner. Non, he isn't anything to me. He
despises me as you should, and if you do not you soon will. I swear
you will. He's beautiful. I have a daughter. He wanted to leave me. I
couldn't take an eternity of loneliness without him So I killed her
and recreated her in our image for him to love, if he could not love
me at least let the poor ass love someone! At first she loved us
both. Now, his child, my child, our child, she both loves and hates
me in spurts. Can you imagine the loneliness I suffer? His
indifference. Her anger. Which I richly deserve, and the only
consolation I have is to despair and love them both from afar, but it
hurts, it's agony to live this way, and I hurt them back constantly.
I should leave you now. I should leave them, too, and never come
back."

"You should not leave them," Stephen said firmly. "He loves you. He
must. How can you doubt it? How can you think anyone else is
beautiful after looking at yourself in a mirror?"

"You mock me!"

"I do," Stephen teased, feeling compassion for the strange creature
sitting on his bed, forgetting any horror it might be sensible to
feel, "Tell them you love them."

"Why? They would only reject me. She already has. Through I have told
her over and over again how much I love her. If I said those words to
him, and he looked at me with the same disgust I see sometimes in her
eyes, I tell you I would not want to live not a second longer."

"I would not reject you. I befriend Death," Stephen whispered, "My
parents disowned me because I would not marry a rich girl who had her
sentimental eyes on me. They stopped sending me money, and have told
me I could rot along with my dreams. I, my friend, I am a killer. A
poor man came into my concert hall, this hovel you think you see, it
deceives you! Look at it differently, and you will see it is a
concert hall. The man, he tied to kill my piano. To use its wood to
fuel his winter fire. I saw how poor he was, how frightened, and I
had no mercy for him! I shot him. No one but you knows this. I do not
sleep monsieur. My piano, my music is my life! I selfishly killed him
to keep myself alive."

"I kill to keep myself alive too, my little fool, would you like a
kiss from your friend Death's, very own lips?"

"I would like that very much monsieur for you can't kill me unless it
is my time to die. I'm the Death Angel's musician, and you will fall
in love with me as I have fallen in love with you, before you can
even dream of finishing me off."

Lestat put his lips to his neck. The words fallen in love with you
thrilled him. Words he never heard before, at least not from someone
as mysterious and lovely as this mortal. Words he could laugh at for
having been said to early. Words he could desperately cling to.
Suddenly feeling wary, he fringed indifference. "You're filthy,
forget it, not even Death would choose a boy like you."

"Then let me wipe myself clean for Death," Stephen said, pouring wine
on his neck.

The sour taste of stale cheap wine greeted Lestat's lips. Blood
greeted his tongue, music rippled out of Stephen's mind into Lestat's
mind as he drank Stephen's blood, a fountain of notes one, two ,
three, four, more and more, a galaxy of Stephen's celestial sounds.

Gasping, Lestat pushed Stephen away. Stephen's crotch was hard with a
moist erection.

"Don't, I beg, don't," Lestat gasped, gently slapping at the hands
pulling down his breeches. Lestat's cock stood out helplessly hard
under his day shirt. Lifting the material up, Stephen caressed and
held the ivory cock. Lubricating it with the wine, Stephen slid his
mouth on it. The cock went down his throat as smooth as a bonze
dildo, relaxing his throat muscles, Stephen took it all in, sucking
and playing with his tongue on it, flirting with it, caressing the
cold heavy balls, pressing his fingers on Lestat's ass spreading open
his anus, his other fingers toying between his muscular butt cheeks.

Lestat undulated playing with Stephen's hair. He would have laughed
if he wasn't so blissfully captured in Stephen's hot mouth. Imagine a
mortal sucking him in such a fashion, such a wondrous fashion.

"I'm gong to cum," Lestat begged, backing away from his mouth, "Don't
taste it, stay away."

Dead sperm shot into Stephen's face. Quickly, Lestat wiped it off
with his hand, unable to resist tasting it himself.

"Lay down with me, my Death Angel," Stephen whispered, "I'm so used
to the cold, lay down with me. Keep me cold. With you, I want to be
cold with you."

"I believe I would lay down in hell for you. Take Cerberus out for a
walk for you," Lestat said gently, curling against him, "Don't call
me Death anymore."

Lubricating Stephen with wine and spit, Lestat's cock eased into
Stephen's thin buttocks. The oven of Stephen's insides made his
erection even stiffer, moving in and out of him, fucking him gently
so not to hurt him, his mind chorused with the symphony in his
lover's minds and limbs.

Blood cum explored out of his tingling cock, "You're bleeding" Lestat
said pulling out, bending down to taste the blood and cum seeping out
of Stephen's buttocks. Stephen tasted of earthy things; he tasted of
a boy playing in a muck of sunshine, dirt, flowers, and life. The
taste made Lestat feel amusingly dizzy. Stephen's blood may of tasted
of music, and his body of dirt and salt, but the after taste of him
was of alcohol. It was the sweetest of intoxication.

Gathering Stephen to him, kissing his face, hair, and neck over and
over again, Lestat whispered, "I will pay for you."

"I'm not a whore."

"Non, you are my genius. I will be your manager. I'll try my best to
further your career. You remind me of another boy, a boy who played
paino as well as you, but differently. A colored boy, by the name of
Jamie. He amused me; you astound me. Understand I will give you
money, and take you to the saloons of great men and ladies. You must
dress the part I desire you to play."

"Am to live with you then?"

"Non, perhaps someday. I will always love Louis, my partner more. You
can not rival him in my affections. I ask you to be a friend and I
ask to you be my lover too. Is it not a fair enough exchange for you?
My help for your help? I am lonely, and I need your help to feel
alive again."

"I accept your offer, I told you piano my music is my life. A lover
could never be my life. Only a small part of it," Stephen confessed.

"Then we have an arrangement you and I. Here are the terms, break one
rule, and I will never see you again. You sold your musician's soul
to the devil."

"And what shall I call this devil?" Stephen said smiling, his hips
aching.

"Lestat, who justly adores you."

"Stephen."

"I know your name. You will let me dress you. One rag on your body,
and it's the street for you. You will let me house you, and I will
pick out all the furnishings. You will go to concerts with me, and
restaurants. You will let me watch you eat. You will allow me to feed
you. And I would have you describe the taste of food and wine to me
as if I were a blind man who needed things described to me. You will
let me touch you with what ever degree of vulgarity and gentleness as
I choose to apply to your flesh. You will let me applaud your
triumphs."

"Trifles, clothing, food, luxury, trifles which I care so little
about. You can dress me in silk pantaloons with diamond bobs hanging
from my nose for all I care" Stephen laughed, "You will listen, and
listen well. You will leave me alone when I am composing and writing
new music. You will ignore me when I weep because the music I play
doesn't reach the standard of how the music in my mind sounds. And
when I have a temper tantrum because I am frustrated that I can not
make my music into the perfect quality I demand, and so I put holes
through the walls with my fist, and I break the furniture, you will
forgive me for it."

"Do your composing during the day. Oui, I can live by your terms.
Your terms delight me," Lestat laughed, somehow feeling deliciously
settled down and married to the mortal now lustfully kissing his
lips.

I do not know what it is with you, Lestat thought, All my other loves
before Nicky, Marius, Armand, Gabrielle, they seem like childish
infatuations of a adolescent compared to how I feel about you.. With
you I feel a maturity I never thought could be possible in me Except
for Louis, Louis is my life. I'm as obsessed with him as you are
obsessed with your music. Your music, your life, hurts you sometimes
as my Louis, my life, hurts me. We can be a comfort to each other
when our cruel obsessions hurt us.

"Shame," Lestat whispered his voice catching, "Is what divides a
family. My daughter is ashamed of me, she is ashamed of what she is.
It's like she and Louis, they do not even want me to try to prove to
them I love them because of the mistakes I didn't mean to make with
them."

What kind of mistakes?" Stephen said, soothingly caressing his face.

"Too many numerous mistakes," Lestat said wanly. "I wish I could help
you with your mistakes. My family is ashamed of me too because of
what I am, ashamed of my choices. They do not try to love me anymore.
Should I care? I don't. So it's over between my parents and I,"
Stephen said defiantly.

"It will never be over between Louis, Claudia, and myself," Lestat
said seriously, "They belong to me, I love them. Whatever our faults
we are a family."

"And what am I then to you?" Stephen said, squishing up his face.

"You my love, you are comfort. You do not belong to me. You chose to
be with me, and I chose to be with you," Lestat laughing at the funny
face Stephen made, kissing his nose.

Oh I can see it now, Armand thought shaking his head in exasperation,
watching through Stephen's cracked glass window. Yet another fledging
to over populate our world with. Scorned once again I will not be,
Lestat when I propose my love to you.

"Damn you, Armand whispered, "The monsters you created will die.
Didn't I murder many of my own monsters, the children of darkness,
when you killed the meaning of their being alive for me? You turned
me into a bitter ghost after you killed my concept of worshipping a
congregation of murderers into a fool's ashes Then you turned me out
to be abandoned when I pleaded with you to adore me before all
others. You are the mocking indifferent God who deserves to be put in
misery for the misery of my world. First you created two insane
fledglings, one of whom I had to murder, and now a pathetic fledging
who almost forever lived like an idiot on animal parts, then a
prattling, little girl who you know by the dark law must be put to
death by others who come across her. Damn your hide!!! Who is more
responsible to kill her than I the coven master? Now, it shall be
this morbid musician. Non, Lestat, your plans of domestic bless will
never come to fruition."

Leaving Stephen with money and instructions, Lestat went to Rue
Royal. He entered into his town house's warmth and settled into his
chair. A rosy glimmer from a red lamp lit Louis' face from where he
sat reading.

I love you more, wish for you more now that there is someone new in
my life, Lestat thought sadly.

He couldn't help but compare the two men in his life Through here was
no denying Stephen was beautiful, Lestat would in a heart beat call
his new lover ugly compared to Louis. He shut his eyes, troubled.
Passionate, talented Stephen was beautiful to be with while Louis was
beautiful to look upon. Why can't I fall in love with him, and out of
love with Louis, and finally fall from out of harm's way?

Putting his hand on Louis' shoulder, his voice the caress he wished
he could physically give Louis, he said, "Not a word for me?"

"What is there to say? Claudia is shattered over what happened. I
tried to calm her down and tired to explain to her we meant her and
Jean no harm She will have none of it," he said pressing Lestat's
hand.

"Why don't you leave?" Claudia said listlessly behind them, "No one
needs you to be here anymore. Leave Lestat."

"I'll leave when I'm good and ready to leave!" Lestat hissed anger
overwhelming him.

"I want you gone! I wish you dead." she cursed him, "I wish Jean was
here to see you dead in your coffin, in your grave! You sicken me!"

"Do you wish Jean here? Impossible my dear," Lestat cried
caustically, "I only on rare occasions bring back the dead" Grabbing
her arm, he yanked her to him to face him, "You and I have something
important to do together."

"Lestat, leave her alone," Louis demanded, grabbing Lestat's
shoulder, "It's almost dawn. Don't touch her."

"The hell with you, Louis! Do you want to be protected from me
Claudia?"

"Do your worse" she said coldly, "You're good at being evil father
I'm living proof of that! Where is your sense of shame!"

"I'm coming along " Louis said grabbing his cloak.

"It would be best if you stayed here" Lestat said threats in his
clear gray eyes. Angrily, Lestat twisted Claudia's arm.

Louis stepped back frightened he might only make Lestat's fury worse,
"Swear to me you won't hurt her," he begged.

"The devil take you and your ridiculous suspicions of me That is the
only reason you remain here with me. Your suspicions about what I
might do if you leave. Leave you coward and find out!"

Chapter 9

"It's not the only reason I'm remaining. Lestat, please let her go,"
Louis cried

"Ah, if only I believed in one single word you say," Lestat said
bitterly, dragging Claudia out the door.

"Where are you taking me you monster?" she yelled.

"To face another monster."

Jean's father Franval was calling for Jean. Worry was almost causing
his small body to double up in nerve whacking pain. Never had Jean
stayed out as long as this.

"Why are you not at the circus where you belong?" a blond stranger
asked him. The child in the stranger's arms was staring at Franval.
Never had Franval seen a child with such wide open, cold eyes.

"Monsieur, I beg of you," Franval cried, too worried to wonder why a
man would be out in an alley with a small child this late. "Have you
seen a young man? With red hair? He was wearing blue breeches, a
white shirt. Unhand me monsieur," he squealed, his tiny legs kicking
in the air.

"Describe this dwarf to me immediately Claudia," Lestat said his hand
smothering the humiliated little man's screams for help.

"Non," she wept, "Have mercy."

"Do it now. I will not harm you, but do not put me in such a temper
where I will not be able to spare others the violence of my anger! Do
it now!" he yelled.

Trembling, she said in a trembling, small voice, "He has wrinkles,
falling skin, along with his hair which is falling out, he has pain
in his joints at times, yet he does his tricks leaps and somersaults,
no matter the pain, his heart sometimes tightens in his chest. Cancer
is starting in his blood, his blood. Lestat, non!"

"It will be a more painful death for him to die of cancer. He's
hideous. Isn't he?"

"When he was young," she whispered.

"He was once quite handsome, despite his small size," Lestat said
quietly, hurting for her, "Such a small neck on a man who had lived
so many years as he."

Gently, Lestat released his grip on the old dwarf's throat, letting
him fall to the ground. Before Franval could scramble away. Lestat
swooped on him breaking the skin, draining him rapidly. Pulling
himself away from the corpse, Lestat told her "Look at him now."

"He's turning blue, the gas in his body will erupt and swell his
flesh out, his skin will moisten and blacken and decay. His bones
will blossom out of the decay of his flesh, his features will be
extinguished all that will be left of his face will be a white
calcium skull of holes and teeth." she dully said.

"The dawn is almost upon us. This is what I saved you from! Look at
him, I saved you from corruption. It wasn't I who hurt you. It was
illness, the plague. Grieve for you mother, those things are what
hurt you Claudia, it's growing up which has hurt you. Not me. I love
you. I want you to be happy. To be grateful for everything I have
given you. Have Louis for a lover. Neither one of us wants to hurt
you. Neither one of use would ever leave you."

"I don't want Louis' pathetic love. His sadness, his grief. He
doesn't love me in the way I need to be loved," Claudia pleaded.

"If you only would ask him, he will become the kind of lover you want
him to be," Lestat insisted.

"Out of guilt only! Just like you are making this suggesting out of
guilt!" Claudia cried.

I'm suggesting this because I know deep down he could love you,"
Lestat said, praying that it were true.

"You didn't have to kill him," Claudia said, tenderly touching the
old man's face.

"As one loving father to another, I'm sure he would have understood,"
Lestat said laying the corpse on the ground. "Father and son are
together now. He no longer needs to spend constant nights searching
for Jean."

"Are father and daughter together now too Lestat? Non, we do not
belong together," Claudia said, her voice as cold as granite.

"Claudia, we have to go home," Lestat said, picking her up as if she
was still six years old.

"Claudia, are you all right?" Louis said once they returned to Rue
Royal.

Claudia submitted almost gratefully to Louis' caresses and kisses on
her lips and cheeks. She felt the same way she felt the night Lestat
told her to kill a woman who reminded her of her mother. She had ran
all the way home. When Louis found her hiding he kissed her that
night just as he was kissing her now. Breaking away from Louis in
frustration, she cried, "Nothing happened to me. Lease me alone!"

She sighed at the look of hurt concern on Louis' face, always
concerned, always--pitying?

"I want to go to bed now," she whispered, feeling so very cold in
Louis' fatherly embrace.

"Of course Claudia," Louis said, taking her to their bedroom.

The next evening she awoke in her's and Louis' casket to find Lestat
staring down at her and Louis.

"Cherie tonight, let's the three of us go out. Like we once did.
Remember those nights of opera, and of Shakespeare? How we would
laugh later over comedies like a "Midsummer's night Dream"? Claudia,
we can return to nights like those with a little effort on all of our
parts," Lestat begged.

"I'm going out on my own," Claudia said rudely.

"Have it your way then. There's nothing to laugh at these days,"
Lestat said sadly.

"Laugh at Louis. You're good at that," Claudia taunted him.

Looking up, awake from his slumber, Louis reached up and took
Lestat's hand, "I think the three of us should go out," he said
placatingly, forgetting to scold Lestat for invading his privacy.

Leaving Rue Royal, they went to Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". As the
curtain rose Claudia hissed, "I'm sick to death of Shakespeare. I'm
sick to death of it, sick," her voice banged like a drum.

"Leave then" Lestat said wearily, "I want the both of you to leave."

"Lestat," Louis protested.

"I want to have some time alone," Lestat said, heart sickened.

"She'll get over this Louis assured him watching Claudia go. "It's
been a shock. Give her time to get over Jean's death.."

"I thought I given her everything including time," Lestat said,
kissing Louis' cheek, "I made her timeless."

Lestat slipped out, separating himself from Louis, to visit with
Stephen. He was dying to cherish someone. Someone who wanted his
gifts

Claudia bought chrysanthemums from a vendor. She went back to the
alley and laid them on Jean's grave Jean's father's body still had
not yet been discovered by mortals. Green and black flies buzzed
around the small corpse's eyes, nose, and ears. Colorless liquid
leaked from his gaping mouth.

"Where are my feelings, my compassion, the terror I should feel?" she
whispered to Jean's grave, "There is nothing but an ocean of distance
between us now.. I miss you, but my heart is cold over you being
dead. I can not feel for your death, I can only feel for what I
remember about you being alive."

"That's the way it is for beings such as you and I. The dead hold no
spell for us, if they did, our loved ones, our mothers, fathers who
are destined to die before us would drag us into the very dirt they
now dissolve in. Claudia," the amber eyed vampire standing suddenly
next to her said.

"Who are you?" she whispered, standing fearlessly straight through
her heart raced with excitement and fear.

"Read my mind young one," Armand sweetly offered.

She broke into a soul which was both wondrously wicked and
enchanting. He whispered his name into her mind as if his name were a
magic word.

"Armand, beloved," she said softly, "What do you want of me?
Something, nothing at all?"

"I could sense your sorrow from miles away. Why do you play with mud,
ashes, and decaying small men? Let me escort you, my fine one, to a
ball."

"A ball, this very moment?" she laughed, her tiny. lovely laugh, "My
dress, it's too simple."

"Non, you are simply ravishing in it. And if you do not dance with
me," his pleasant voice echoed in her mind, "Why I may die of envy
for all the men who must have held you close during a waltz."

"You will have no cause to die. No one, who has ever mattered to me,
had the opportunity to hold me in a waltz," she said turning from
him, dropping another white chryanthemum on the grave.

"Then," he said, taking one of the flowers from her, "I'm destined to
be the first."

He's lovely, Claudia thought, bold, his hair is of auburn, and shines
like the sun I barely remember.

"Leave me be," she said slowly walking away.

"Am I not charming to you?"

"Too charming, too exotic. Leave me alone."

"I can't, I'm too taken with you," he cried, bowing.

"Then take me to the ball, but put me back where you found me after
it's over," she cried, running to him.

"I can think of better places to put you, Armand thought, imagining
her hair singed, smoking, her small body caving into glittering
ashes. So beautifully you will burn. If not I it will be someone else
who kills you. You're too small and too weak to live with we monsters
who own grand appetites to sniff out lives.

Taking her hand, he lifted her up in his arms, mesmerizing her. Her
eyes turned inward into her mind. In her dream Armand gifted her with
long, slender legs dancing beneath her empress gown. The lad dancing
with her was Armand himself. His face half hidden in a gaudy black
mask decorated with peacock feathers, black jet gems, and rubies. Her
own mask was a spotless white satin innocent of adornment. Her waist
was caught in a corset. her small breasts peeking out of the lace of
her bodice. His eyes were merry and mischievous.

The dancers were dressed as if they were at a king's palace.
Elaborate wigs were high above their faces. Faces as pale as the
palest powdery snow. All of them danced elegantly, their feet moving
in intricate steps off the floor. The men leaped into the air looking
as wondrous as Amazon parrots in their fanciful garments. The ladies
clapped their gloved hands, spinning around the room. Their wide
dresses spread out to look like spinning bells, everything had an
under current of bells in it; the voice, the laughter, gaiety and the
music. Amongst them all, Claudia twirled around and around with
Armand leading her. Till all at once they stopped dancing, and
everything was blackness. And she was alone with him. Armand shone
like a star in her arms. His lips crushed against hers, he kissed
good enough to love.

Chapter 10

"Wake up my dear," Armand whispered softly in her ear, "The clock is
chiming at midnight. It's time to hunt for prey."

"Oh," Claudia said. "You are right. I belong with my own kind, and
not with Jean's ashes, and his freaks."

Armand approved, kissing her parted lips. The touch of his firm lips
on her tiny ones caused her to almost swoon. She tasted a drop of
blood on his tongue. Sugar to her soul.

" It's the magic kisses like these which makes love possible between
beings like ourselves. I can give you those dreams. I am," he tried
not to smile, " a wizard"

"Then prove it."

'Perhaps I may," Armand chuckled "Hunt with me first so I can see if
you're worthy."

"What decides my worth?"

"I do not cast my magic spells for slaves," Armand said.

"I am no one's slave take me with you."

Ah, the very words I once said to Lestat, Armand thought bitterly.

"I have more to offer to you than you have to offer to me. First you
have to prove yourself to me. Hunt with me, my beauty, I want to see
you kill before I offer you a taste of myself again. And I will,
Claudia, never fear, I know I will make the offer again," Armand said
smiling.

While Claudia and Armand talked, miles away, Lestat joined Stephen.
He basked in the happy appreciative glow of Stephen's eyes as he and
Stephen entered the town house Lestat had bought Stephen with the
help of his lawyers.

"Shopping, we must go shopping for china, and glasses, and everything
we can stuff into your new home. Stephen what is the matter?"

"Nothing," Stephen said, 'I didn't think you were going to show up."

"I was detained. Believe me as soon as I was freed from my
engagement, I hurried right here," Lestat said guiltily, knowing he
may well not have showed up if his going to the play with Claudia and
Louis had not ended up being a disaster.

"Your friend, Mademoiselle de Clavior, when I played her my music
tonight I could tell she was humoring you in her praise of me," he
said, running his hands along his new piano's keys.

"What of it? Humor her next time, play something happy. Giddy.
Something for people to enjoy."

"I must be going now," Stephen said coldly, "Here are the keys to
your house."

"Save what is beautiful and tragic for people of taste," Lestat said
gently catching his wounded lover in his arms, "Listen to me. Let me
be all the audience you need. Your music is sublime. It's other
worldly. It can only be pleasing to creatures like myself. I'm
enthralled by your music I'm enchanted with you."

"Merci, Lestat but I must sell at least of one of my compositions,"
Stephen laughed self consciously.

"Be a failure, if you can't conform, you must be a failure. If you
can't learn to bend your knee to the so called great men and women,
if you can't feed them with flattery, kiss their asses--a failure you
will be. You did not endear yourself to madam. Call her pretty, kiss
her hands."

"I knew her to be indifferent to my music, so I lost interest in
her."

"A little flattery," Lestat teased.

"Which would make me false. You must love my music," Stephen said,
sliding his hand on the fine finish of his piano, "otherwise you
would have left me where where I was."

"You and I are opposites. When I was on the stage I did everything to
please my audience. I would even stand on my head if that's what it
took to win their applause."

"It's more important for me to love my music than it is for the
audience to love me," Stephen said earnestly. "You found a home in
the theartre. It was important for you to be loved by your theatrical
family. I do not care if I have a family or not. It not as important
to me as it is to you to be loved."

"That's why I love you. You're not bitter about not pleasing the
audience. You put your art first. I certainly can not be in love with
you for your looks," Lestat said sincerely, "I've seen too many
beautiful cold faces. This kind of love it must go beyond
appearances. Did you get yourself something to eat?" he said
anxiously.

"Oui, I have already eaten. You can take me out later for dessert if
you like. I love banana fosters. With whip cream," Stephen said,
peeling away at a mango he bought at a French Market.

"How does it taste to you. The fruit?" Lestat asked watching him eat
into the soft, yellow flesh.

"Sour, tangy, and sweet, everything at once. Have a bite," Stephen
said his mouth wet with juice.

"Non, I would rather bite you," Lestat teased, going to him, rubbing
his face on his shoulder, "In the folds of your clothes I can smell
sunshine" he marveled.

"I sat out in the court yard writing today," Stephen said kissing
Lestat's cheek making it sticky. "Your loss. This mango is quite
good. You should take a bite."

"You know too little about me."

"I know you're not a man as I am. And you drank my blood. Is it how
you survive then? I would rather not know everything about you. It is
better that way. Whatever you are, an angel or a devil, it doesn't
matter. I know you're my friend, that is enough for me to know,"
Stephen said, quietly. "Anything else you want to tell me I will
leave it up to you."

"I'll tell you everything about me someday. Come let's not dawdle. I
mean to take you out and reward you for you performance tonight.
Furnishings! I've also arranged for a fitting with an excellent
tailor."

"Have you?" Stephen said, taking up a drawing pad. "I did some
designs I would like to have made for me."

Lestat took the pad, looking them over, "Ah, these designs are very
elegant, the lines you made. Unique."

"Merci. And the fabrics must be very fine. I'm not as concerned with
the clothing mind you, as much as I am concerned with the composition
of how the colors, the textures of the fabrics go together, or how
certain things such as the gold silk ascot will stand out from the
peacock feathers embroidered on the great coat. Do you see?"

"I do see, and I like the black breeches you have to go with the
brilliance of the coat, I see a definite oriental influence in this,
very decadent. You're remarkable. Like a butterfly. Your music, it's
so dark. Like a butterfly you feed on the juices of carrion and
decay. You become inspired. Then you fly out, brilliant and tipsy in
the back ground," Lestat said proudly, "Perhaps through, there should
be a stand up collar to this design of the shirt, rather than the
ruffles going down from a big, floppy bow of a collar."

"I have to agree with you," Stephen said seriously, "It gives it an
air of sophistication."

Lestat couldn't believe his ears. At last a lover he could disagree
with, and that lover would actually consider what he said, and then
make a sound decision whether he agreed with him or not. Here at last
was a lover who didn't mock him like Marius the teacher, or Nicky who
forever was lashing out at him with his spitefulness, or Gabrielle
with her indifference, his father with his shame for what occurred,
or Louis, oh, Louis, Louis wouldn't care to have such a conversation
over of all things clothing.

I feel so right with you. You don't diminish me like everyone else in
my life has, Lestat thought gratefully.

"So I am always in the background, ah we know who holds the center
stage for you, don't we?" Stephen said, putting his designs back,
"You've been wanting to say these kind of words to a lover for such a
long time. I can feel the hunger in your voice. Are you sure you are
hungry for me?"

"Starving," Lestat said, "Let's get you out of the clothes you
borrowed from me."

"I'm not jealous of your lover, Louis," Stephen said, teasingly
letting his frock coat fall to the floor.

"Ah, don't you have any talent for flattery? Louis is not my lover.
Even so, a little jealousy if you would," Lestat said, consoling
himself with the idea that Stephen loved his music more than he loved
him so he need not feel guilty for being in love with Louis.

"I have nothing to be jealous of," Stephen said, undoing his day
shirt pulling it open so Lestat could finger his chest, "Once you
have him in your bed. You will leave me. I'm a realist."

"You're a fool. I taste in your lips that you appreciate everything I
have given you. You appreciate my love. Even if Louis would succumb
to my devious charms, I will still find time to be with you."

"There are so many types of love, desire, and needs," He licked his
tongue against Lestat's face, "Why justify our relationship? I
entertain you, and you do me the greatest favor any artist would
desire. You enjoy my work. For that reason alone I would love you,
even if, ah Lestat touch me there again, even if you never touched me
there again. I would want you in my life as my friend. You're warm
tonight,"

"You're the reason," Lestat said with a smooth lie, thinking of the
two prostitutes he killed earlier.

"You know, I wronged Louis, one very special evil night. I should
have gotten to know him before I took him to be my companion."

"He's a fool. It's not so hard to love you."

"It's not?" Lestat asked like a child, "Now you lie to me."

"Non, it's not. Not when you love back. I feel in our own way we love
each other."

"Why are we here outside of this town house?" Claudia whispered up on
the window ledge with Armand, "Who is here that you would want me to
kill?"

"Look inside and see," Armand said.

Claudia watched stunned as Lestat's tongue licked and caressed
whatever took his fancy, And what he fancied most of all was a
beautiful boy's ass thrust up in the air. She shut her eyes at her
father's nudity, but only for a second, fascinated she watched as her
father poured wine on his finger, parting the boy's hole, then
licking at it with the tickle of his lengthy tongue, moistening the
boy more.

"My God, my God, I hate him," she whispered, her state of shock
becoming a jealous rage, "He has everything. Everything, he can take
a lover while I can not. How dare he!"

"You can too," Armand said quietly, "All you must do is kill him."

"Kill him?" Claudia said flatly, jumping from the ledge.

"Kill him. He'll never let you go, Claudia," he said, falling beside
her.

"I don't have to kill him. I'll just leave," Claudia said
defensively.

"He will not let you go. Without you how long will his beautiful
Louis stay at his side?"

"Without me Louis would leave him," Claudia said emptily, "I think he
would leave him. I don't know."

"You want to prove you're not a slave then kill him."

"I dislike him for his utter selfishness," Claudia said hotly.

"Then end it. Here is what you must do. Drive a knife through him.
Drain him dry. Then consecrate his body to the earth. Listen to me,
listen very carefully. The only way he'll find peace is if you throw
his carcass to the swamp or any old hole in the ground. You must not
burn him. Burning him will cause him to be a restless murderous soul
who will come back to haunt you,"

"And then?"

"And then you must find me my beloved, Claudia. I will require but
one more sacrifice."

"Not, mon papa?" Cladia said dazed.

"Oui, how do you think I broke way from my master? Do not worry, I
will kill Louis for you. I killed my master and his powers fell on to
me. Kill Lestat and you will have everything he and nature has robbed
you of."

"Why do you hate him and Louis? Tell me the truth," Claudia cried,
her knuckles turning white from clinching her fists.

He robbed me once of those I loved, robbed me of my calling in life,
you could say," Armand said coolly, "If you have it in you. Do it. I
want him to be as humiliated as I was when he destroyed my coven."

"I will think about it," Claudia said running away from him.

After the two of them got dressed. Stephen and Lestat strolled out
onto the dirt road.. Laughing, Lestat pulled Stephen out of the way
before a wagon splashed sewer at him.

"My dear friend. How did you live so long? You do not care where you
are going?"

"I was composing in my head," Stephen said ruefully, "Lestat, I am
grateful you want to dress me, but, well, devil take the tailor
tonight. Let's go to a party. All my friends will be there. Bernard,
Rolland, Juilette. Listen to me, not only the riffraff of musicians I
hang out with will be there. The grand dame, Liszbetta, she will be
there too, from the opera buffino. How can you refuse the fair
Liszbetta?"

"How can I?" Lestat said gaily, feeling drawn to him to lift up his
chin, and kiss his lips already smelly with wine, a much finer wine
than before.

"Lestat," Louis said coming upon the two.

"Ah, Louis," Lestat said flustered. "Pardon me, this is my dear
friend, Stephen."

"I see," Louis said, amazed at how familiar Lestat's body seemed to
be with Stephen's. "I was just going to go home to see to Claudia."

""The evening is yet young!" Stephen said shyly, "You must be
Monsieur de Pointe du Lac. Lestat raves about you constantly,"
Stephen said, bringing out his hand for Louis to shake.

"Does he now?" Louis said, arching his eye brow.

"We were about to enter this tavern here, The Swan's Neck, come along
with us if you would like," Stephen, said, untangling his arm from
Lestat's. Stephen knew the truth in an instant, indeed he could be no
rival to someone as beautiful as this sleek, young man looking down
at him with his radiant, questioning eyes.

Entering the tavern with his two companion, Stephen left them to run
to his friends, other composers. Lestat took in the rough, sloppy,
ill clad, drunken musicians with a visual embrace.

"Stephen," called Bernard, "And who are the fancy delights you have
for friends? Other men of notes like ourselves?"

Introductions we're hasty made. The musicians took up their fiddles.
horns, and stringed instruments, drunkenly they sang a filthy ditty
of a priest and a poor nun. Stephen leaped up and linked arms with a
pretty young bar maid, who protested with scolding tunes, "I am
working, monsieur!"

"With a saucy laugh, he led the maid into a frantic, silly jig. With
a bold gaffe, she joined his steps to the measure of music which only
an alley cat in heat would adore. More dancers came to the floor. A
sailor blew on his wind pipes. Two sailors started to jig with some
whores they brought into the bar. Everything smelled of unwashed
bodies, spilled wine, intoxicated breath, and malt. A sailor dancing
with a whore gave Stephen a come hither glance of pure flirtation.
Stephen kicked up his heels ignoring the burly boy.

Ah well, a woman can suck cock as much as a boy can, the sailor
thought, twirling his bought lady.

Stephen whirled around, he almost landed with a thud on the bench,
but Lestat couldn't resist catching him to land in his lap. Louis
waited for Lestat to take a little drink from the drunken boy's
throat. Louis' mouth fell down in amazement when instead Lestat
kissed Stephen passionately on the mouth. Lestat looked up, his face
had a sheepish carried away look. His smile was so disingenuous that
a few dancers who were at first scandalized could not help but smile
back at him..

"Give us a play, bony boy, "Raymond, a fiddler sang out to Stephen.
Wobbling on his unsteady legs, Stephen made his way to a piano in the
bar. Flexing his fingers, he made the mad descent onto the keys.

His music, Louis thought, trying to be dispassionate to no avail, "it
is so layered, much more polished and complicated than my late cousin
Jamie's. But, it is noise! One deep dangling note after another. It
is beautiful. Perhaps like Mozart's it's ahead of its time. Perhaps
there is no time in history which would tolerate this kind of wild,
untamed, metallic splendor of music.

Stephen played on over the explosive clatter of boots with cheap
wooden soles slamming on the sticky wood floor. Played over the clink
of tankards filled with cheap wine, sloshing all over.

The other musician's smiled for their unpopular friend, knowing him
to be an artist, pitying him that he was cursed with such a dismal
muse.

Spinning off the piano bench, Stephen standing up, played a march to
accompany the grand entrance of Liszbette. The opera singer was
wearing a dress all sewn with shells; she was the goddess Venus. Her
shimmering dark hair, flashing black eyes, and sophisticated Parisian
face surveyed her admirers. She tossed her head interested in the
blond, well dressed young man sitting with an equally well dressed
young man with dark hair. The dark haired young man, through very
handsome, had the look of one who had eaten a lemon.

Lestat, delighted at the attention, tossed his head flirtatiously.
Smiling she broke into her favorite duet from the opera Tristan and
Isolde. Lestat with no hesitation sang the role of Tristan, taking
the difficult parts with a winning fan fare, making fair Leszbette's
eyes shine with even more reason to admire him.

"Monsieur," she cried after their duet, "How is it that we have never
seen you before? Now, you must join our group of humble musicians."

"Non, non," Lestat said pleased, "I am but the manager of my wondrous
Stephen."

Stephen, rather ingloriously, snuggled his sleepy head on Lestat's
shoulder.

"Ah so I see, a sodomite with his boy. So that is your game. No
matter. You are probably too high in society to want to be a player.
No matter. You are wonderful. Look me up, monsieur if you by chance
change your tastes," she said haughtily. With a dismissive nod to
him, she and her toadies went to another table.

The night wore on with more dancing and drinking. Liszette even went
so far as to forgive Lestat for his poor taste. She danced a minuet
with him, and they sang more duets. Sometimes making the duets into
hilarious, naughty satire.

"Did you like my composition?" Stephen said drunkenly to Louis.

"Why ask are you so insecure? It is clear you have admirers," Louis
said frostily, regretting his words.

All night Lestat tried to act natural between Louis and Stephen, even
going out of his way to socialize with other people, having a long
talk with a Shakespearean actor, an old man with flowing locks,
talking to him about the play MacBeth. Lestat could not help through
at times going to Stephen, touching his hip bone, glazing his hand
against Stephen's hips, laughing a little bit too earnestly at
Stephen's drunken patter. Adoring him just a little too much. With
Louis he played the role of being with a good friend. He kept his
distance as he thought Louis wanted. Louis didn't know what he
wanted. He neither wanted Lestat's attention, nor for him to pay
attention to Stephen, and this was causing Louis nothing but a
confused misery. When a bunch of actors insisted on putting Stephen
on a blanket, tossing him up in the air, Louis could feel the tension
in Lestat.

He's afraid for Stephen, Louis thought dismally. The least injury
done to Stephen would be a crisis for him.

Later, wrapping a passed out Stephen in his arms, blanketing him with
his cloak, Lestat said, " I'm going to take him home."

"Should I expect you at Rue Royale tonight?" Louis said, wishing he
did not care.

"Oui, of course, right after I put him to bed," Lestat said, happily

Turning his head away in disgust, Louis could not bear the look of
lust and anticipation on Lestat's face for the unconscious boy. "I
will see you soon then," Louis said, leaving.

Taking Stephen to his home. Lestat wiped the whimpering boy's face,
kissing him slowly, and with love. Their naked chests cling to each
other. Biting his hand, putting it between Stephen's crack, he
lubricated him. Stephen's legs were flung over over Lestat's
shoulders so he could watch his lover's face as he entered him,
carefully pushing his cock inside till his balls rested between his
legs. Moaning with sin, Stephen stared trustingly up in Lestat's eyes
as he was being fucked. Flicking with his thumbs and fingers
Stephen's erect nipples, masturbating Stephen's cock, Lestat
glorified in every expression on Stephen's face of slack jawed,
drunken ecstasy. Sometimes, when he pushed too hard inside Stephen,
Stephen's face took a look of hurt, and his teeth gritted. Becoming
gentler, Lestat whole body stiffened, he ejaculated inside of his
lover. His tongue explored between Stephen's thighs, taking Stephen's
erection in his mouth, sucking and working it , playing with his
balls till the boy made delicate with starvation, released his seed
in his mouth.

"Ah, you're not the type to swallow," Stephen laughed as he watched
Lestat spit his cum out.

"I have to go," Lestat said, after kissing him a thousand times.

"I know you belong to them,' Stephen said sleepily, "Merci for the
evening. Louis and I, once he comes to his senses, and he loves you
back. He and I, I hope, he will become an admirer of my music"

"So do I hope, " Lestat said caressing Stephen's exposed naked hips
before he left, "So do I."

After that evening and all the evenings after at Rue Royale, all
Claudia could do was hopelessly dream of Armand. Everything she did
made her feel reckless and unhappy. The taste of blood which he
pressed upon her lips made her thirst for more such tastes.

Lestat started to hum a tune. He stopped when he realized what he was
doing. He started to embarrassingly laugh at himself. Claudia glared
at him with muted anger. Louis joined in with his laughter enable to
resist such happiness.

"That musical score you were humming it came from your new friend,
did it not?" Louis asked.

"Oui," Lestat said in a confiding, tender tone. "I'll have to kill
him won't I? This mortal. He haunts me. What will it be like if I
killed him? He would haunt me even more! Everything he does seems to
be so new and exciting. I seem to have his music on my mind all the
time."

"Oui, so you do, " Louis said, finding an excuse to look the other
way, focusing on Claudia's caged finches so Lestat would not see the
lonely look of loss on his face. Louis left the room, going into the
courtyard.

Lestat's head was in a whirl. for months he had been taking Stephen
to fittings, to concerts, and cafes. Sitting rapturously some
evenings at Stephen's recitals. Knowing a much as he wanted to he
could not embrace, could not tickle Stephen's nose with a feather,
could not play with the crushed velvet of his breeches while he
played. He had to remind himself to be respect of his lover when he
was at his music. And after a while, he could not but be in awe at
the sensations Stephen's music caused him to feel, he totally forgot
about trying to get Stephen's attention, totally even forgot about
Stephen the man. It surprised him he was not jealous of Stephen. He
totally believed in his talent. Last night after a particular poor
reception of his music by the audience, Stephen joked his
compositions would only become appreciated after he died. Lestat put
his arm around Stephen, thinking protectively, Why should you die?
This is not the type of love of my youth. I love you as a man loves
another man. An equal. Lestat thought, And the nights, ah, you're no
Nicky, bitter, begrudging every drunken night he spend in my bed.
Non, Stephen, the intoxication, it makes you lively, lusty, never
have I had a lover so willing to be fucked all night long, desiring
it, enjoying it as much as you!

"Father," Claudia said, settling herself at Lestat's feet.

"Oui, Claudia," Lestat said surprised she was even talking to him. Of
late she seemed to be avoiding him

"I saw you with your so-called friend. You were making love to him,"
she said, challenging him.

"Claudia," Lestat said calmly, putting down his paper, "I have given
you Louis. And I shall never take him from you. I'm gong to bring
Stephen into our coven. It's time."

"How can you? she cried spitefully.

"If his presence causes either one of you pain, I will move in with
him else where. He's mine, Claudia. He belongs to neither you nor
Louis. He makes me happy."

"And when can I be happy?" Claudia said coldly.

"When you choose to be happy," Lestat said sullenly, "Where Stephen
is concerned I'm indifferent to how you feel Claudia. According to
you I have done all I can for you. Now I will put myself first."

"You've always put yourself first."

"Perhaps I have. It doesn't matter. It isn't my fault I found someone
who unlike the two of you can love me back."

"Is it your fault you can put Stephen on the devil's road? Is it your
fault I could not do the same for Jean? Is it your fault the boy I
loved died while trying to kill me? Everything, you took everything
from me."

Picking up a letter opener, prying open a envelop, Lestat said
coldly, "What would you have me do then? Kill a child for you? I
suppose I could."

"You do not want to. The very thought of another like me, someone who
will grow angry and bitter at you repels you. You could kill a child
to keep Louis, but for me, non."

"I'm not sorry Claudia. I'm not. I gave you more than I took."

"Heartless."

"Non, I am too full of heart, to full of love."

Heartless, you threw me into a world to be a house pet to you.
Crippled dependent on both of you. A pet who would die if it were
left out on its own. I was never a child to you."

"It was never meant to be like this. I was impulsive. I didn't think
your mind would grow beyond the age of a five year old. . I didn't
think it would matter."

"Father it is the expectations of a real father to want his child to
grow up to be independent. To become a person in their own right. To
leave him someday. You didn't want that for me. You never wanted for
me what every father wants for his child. You wanted a bebe doll. You
didn't want me to be anything more. I was never a person to you!"

"I gave you life that's enough!"

"Do you love Stephen more than us?" she said in a small voice.

"Claudia, I will always love you and Louis. Things change Claudia."

"You should have thought about people changing before you made me.
The night you created me. You enjoyed it?" She blushed, feeling
confused, horrified, remembering the painful, then the sexually
erotic sensations she felt while trying to make Jean. involuntarily,
she put her hand close to her crotch, remembering it, remembering
Jean's erection, the sensual ecstasy in his mind and body as he
sucked on her, angrily she withdrew her hand. She wanted to sink to
the floor and scream, thinking about her and her father.

"Claudia, I didn't think what I did to you would have any
ramifications for either of us. You were a child. What did you know?
You would remain a child. I told you after it was over, never from me
again."

"So the night I was born father, I was your lover for that one night.
You must have loved Louis very much to do what you did to me," she
said shakily.

"I do Claudia. Oui, I enjoyed the act with you. You enjoyed it too.
You would enjoy it."

"With a child," Claudia covered her face, "Are you saying I would
enjoy it with a child. Why Lestat, why did you kill Jean's father? He
was defenseless."

"Claudia, child, old man, man in his prime, woman. It doesn't matter.
They all are defenseless. There is such an evil in me Claudia, and
that is the way it is with us all. We vampires. We are born on the
devil's road to take what we want. We are good at getting what we
want. Claudia, I wanted you. I had to have you. That is reason enough
for what I did. None of it was meant to hurt you. Not like this. I
have to be indifferent to you about Stephen. Claudia, I made mistake.
I was foolish. It was worth it. The two of you, Louis and you, both
of you, made me happy to be with you."

"Now we are not enough to make you happy. You're right things,
people, they change. You won't be indifferent to us for long,
father," Claudia said in a low voice.

"Where are you going Claudia?" Louis said, coming back into the room,
his eyes alert on her.

"Come with me, Louis and find out," She said coolly.

Together they walked, their voices hushed.

"Tonight will be the night I kill him, and not a word of protest from
you," she demanded, drawing herself up, "The mortal, Stephen, the
very one he tells you he's going to kill. It isn't so. They are
lovers Louis. I saw them. Worse than two dogs on the street!"

Louis face crumbled. "It's just as well. I've suspected this for
weeks Claudia. Lestat's dropped enough hints."

"Non. it is not just as well, don't be sad for such a nobody as
Lestat. I'm tired of being his slave."

"Claudia," Louis said trying to calm her, "I'm well aware of your
unhappiness. And of Lestat's too. As I have already told you, I have
suspected his feelings ran deep for this young musician. I've been
making arrangement so you and I can move out.

"He still wants you! He'll never let you leave! He'll flaunt his new
lover in your face. He's using you both. Stephen for sex. and to make
you jealous, so he can sleep with the both of you! Do you want to be
humiliated! If you can't go, I can't go!"

"Claudia be still," Louis demanded, "All this can be solved by our
moving out. Why would Lestat stop us? I will not stand in the way of
Lestat finally finding someone who can love him back. I know I can
not love him as well as his boy loves him. I have no right to
interfere with Lestat's chance at happiness with someone else! Nor do
you have any right to hurt Lestat!"

Chapter 11

"All I ask is that you do not interfere in my happiness," Claudia
pleaded.

"And his being dead will make you happy? I will not interfere,
because you will not commit this act. There is no need to," Louis
said quietly.

Later that very evening Louis was crouched on the floor putting his
finger to Lestat's blackened skull. The parody of it all! The filthy
skeleton with his fancy rags made Louis burst out in tears of bitter
hysteria. All he could think about was Claudia riding a screaming
Lestat, stabbing at him with her butcher's knife. Lestat calling
helplessly for him. And all he could do was stand back and watch
unbelieving that Lestat could actually die.

"Stop playing with his face. He's dead Louis," Claudia said
tonelessly.

"So we all should be," Louis said weeping.

Claudia bent down to lap at the blood on the floor.

"Enough crimes have been committed tonight. Have you no shame?" Louis
yelled.

"But the power in his blood. The secrets it may reveal," Claudia
argued, "Louis don't be a fool. Join me for a drink. I beg of you!"

"I will not let you touch one drop of his blood," Louis cursed.
Running to the court yard for a bucket filled with rain water, he
drenched the blood making it undrinkable.

"Louis, you fool, you fool," Claudia said sadly, feeling robbed,
"Always sentimental."

A nightmare occupied the room. Lestat's grinning skeleton, the bodies
of two male children Claudia had taken small sips from before she
poisoned them both, and then given them over to Lestat to kill so he
would ingest the poison into his blood, and the bones of yet another
child. This one a female and her mother Claudia had killed earlier.

"I did it for the mother and the child. I killed Lestat for my mortal
mother, and my mortal self. Neither of you should have separated me
from my mother, from my life!" Claudia screamed at Louis, trying
desperately to validate her motivations to him.

I did it for Jean, for Armand, she raged to herself, I did it for me.
He deserved to die. He had everything.

"Wrap up their bodies in a sheet," Claudia said furiously, "We'll
bury them in the swamp."

They traveled through the night in their carriage. Louis bleeding
tears from his eyes. She fought her own tears away.

I loved Lestat once, she thought miserably to herself. This could not
have gone on for all of eternity. I could not bear it. Lestat forgive
me. I could not endure it. Being in your shadow forever. If you were
me you would have killed me too.

She focused her thoughts on Armand's alchemy. His promises to her.
His love replaces yours Lestat, she thought to herself, biting her
fingernail. His love replaces everyone's love, Jean's, Louis', no one
else matters to me, she thought, denying the voice deep inside of her
which wished for Lestat and Jean's return back into her life. She
looked at her dark reflection on the carriage's window. She imagined
she could hear Lestat's laughter outside, she imagined she could hear
him say, What a pretty girl you are, imagined his warm kiss on her
cheek. Her eyes dropped to the sheet covering her father's body. The
whole of her mind begged her to reach out and touch his body, to give
Lestat's body some sort of comfort, to wake it up. He couldn't be
dead, he had to wake up. Trembling, she shut her eyes as tight as she
could, reminding herself over and over again, I killed him. I killed
him. I'm better off now that he's dead.

Louis drove the carriage his mind swinging from hating her, to
pitying her. He stopped the carriage at the swamp, and helped her
out.

You look like a being of quick silver to me. Louis thought, A cold
being. You could be made of tinsel and wire. There is no soul in your
determined eyes. You ceased being as beautiful to me as you once
were, yet I love you, there is no escape from you, I have to love
you, or I have to murder you, neglect you, desert you and forget you.

Remembrances of her childhood kept him to feeling responsible for her
care, and oui, he could not stop the fact she was his. The child she
once was committed him to be loyal to the monster he helped her
become. He took out the bodies and committed them to the swamp. They
both watched as the weight of the corpses started to drag the bodies
into the water. Alligators began to swim around. Their great tails
swishing the water into foam as they lunged at the fresh meat of
Claudia's recent kills, and the decayed meat of the mother and
daughter. "Louis," Claudia cried, running to the water's edge, wading
in, "We can't let them. God, they can't eat. Louis help me to get him
out of here!"

"Claudia," Louis yelled running to her, pulling her out of the water,
taking off her soiled stockings and slippers.

"I'm glad he's dead, I didn't want him, oh God," she cried, sobbing
in his arms, "I'm glad he's dead. I'd kill him again. I'd kill him
again."

The next night Louis went through the cypress and cotton wood tress
to the edge of the swamp where they disposed of Claudia's victims.

Cutting open his wrist Louis said above all the subtle noises of the
life teaming swamp, "Drink from me beloved, and love me back." Sad ly,
he dipped his wrist into the water. Leaves floated in the murky
liquid which started to swirl.

MY GOD STOP!" he screamed.

Springing out of the water, a skull clamped its bony jaws firmly onto
his wrist.

Twisting, kicking trying in vain to pull away, Louis fell back onto
the grass. The slimy skeleton climbed on top of him

"Drink then, kill me," Louis wept against the creatures' living
bones.

"Stop crying," the monster rasped, "Must you always snivel?"

"Lestat, you're alive," Louis cried out horrified.

"Do you call this being alive!" Lestat shirked, his bones rattling
and tapping against what remained of his soaking wet clothing.

"You're alive," Louis whispered, embracing him as a lover,. "Drink a
little more! I hope it may cure you." Louis kissed the skinless mouth
of the creature, licking its flat teeth, and its sharp fangs. His
tongue bled into its bony mouth. "I came here because I so
desperately wanted for you to be alive."

"Louis, you can help me," Lestat pleaded, "Over and over again I
begged you to rescue me! Louis you must help me! Do not fail me
again."

"I cannot give you any more blood. Through you deserve to drain me
dry. I cannot allow it," Louis wept.

"Please," Lestat cried, his bony claws pulling at Louis' day shirt.

Louis almost backed away, the thing was undoing his breeches. The
monster was a horror. A freak crawled out of the watery grave. He
shivered in terror. The cold breeze gave glancing touches to his
naked hips and thighs. Gently, the creature he knew to be Lestat bit
into the artery of his inner thigh.

Gasping with a sensation of awe which penetrated through his brain
like a lethal caress, Louis luxuriated as his blood rapidly spilled
and spilled into Lestat. Louis' hand caressed the skull. To his
amazement blond hair started to erupt. First as fuzz then it became
long and falling luxurious strands from a developing scalp, skin
slowly formed and stretched out over the bones forming a face with a
missing nose.

Moaning, Louis ejaculated in the reborn hair, crying out loud in
pleasure, he dropped to the ground.

"See me, what my daughter had done to me? To us?" Lestat whispered.

"I see," Louis said weakly, taking the still skeletal hand of Lestat,
"I cannot stay with you. You wanted me to be a slave Your wish came
true. I am her slave. I cannot leave her. She will not last a night
without my protection."

Lestat's face was lined with scars, the barely reformed flesh seemed
to be molting on his face. His nose was still missing.

An alligator slid into the water, Lestat dived under, catching,
crushing the great reptile with his strong embrace. Greedily, he
drank from the dying animal. Lestat's head bobbed up from out of the
water, "I need more blood Louis. You must get me more blood. Human
blood."

"Lestat, you must stay away from her. From us. If you ever come near
us, I will take her side. Rightfully or wrongly I will protect her to
the death. We are responsible for her creation you and I will can not
undo what we have done to her. This has to be good bye!"

"You're next. She'll do away with you next. Louis she's mad, perhaps
even influenced by another. Louis, I heard you. You said you loved
me."

"It doesn't matter what I said. It can never matter! Not where she is
concerned. I lied. I was feeling guilty, troubled when I said I loved
you. I don't love you, Lestat. I never loved you. Why do you think I
wanted to leave you in the first place? Before Claduia was even born.
There it is finally said out loud for you to hear. I don't love you,"
Louis said mustering up as much hostility and coldness as he could to
be in his voice.

"You can't you leave me alone like this. Don't leave me here! Louis!"
he screamed. his gaping eyes watching Louis disappear into the night.
Lestat screamed till he thought there was no one to hear him He
crawled up on to the mud of the shore, cursing his fledglings. He
lifted his head, someone was calling for him. "I'm here," he yelled.

"Lestat," Stephen said soothingly. He went to him taking his lover's
weeping injured body in his arms. He stifled his scream at the sight
of Lestat's face, and body. He steeled himself to comfort his
destroyed angel.

"I need, I need," Lestat gasped, not daring to beg his mortal lover
to bring victims to him. "I need you."

You have me," Stephen said, cutting with a knife both his wrists,
putting them to Lestat's lips, "I found a note slid under my door. It
told me everything. I came here right after I read it. It said you've
been murdered."

"Louis' handwriting," Lestat said wearily reading the note.

"It was kind of him to want me to know," Stephen said rocking Lestat
in his arms, "Or he may have felt you would kill me in the state
you're in. It doesn't matter. You're wet. You're shivering so hard
you might fall apart. Let me take you to where you'll be warm."
Lestat bit his tongue, bleeding his blood into Stephen's wounded
wrists so he would not die of blood loss. Stephen gasped at the prick
of fangs at his throat. Like a mother with a child he let Lestat feed
off of him.

Drawing his mouth away, his mouth dripping with blood, Lestat said,
"Louis couldn't believe I had died. He wants me to stay away. He's a
damned fool. The two of them both. Spy on them for me. Make sure they
are all right. They mustn't leave New Orleans. If they try I must
stop them. There is a vampire who may be seeking revenge on me. Using
them as puppets. Ah, Claudia, Louis, both ever the slaves to some
poor fool of a master," Lestat said spitefully.

Lestat's skeletal body got up behind Stephen on his horse. The horse
struggled with Stephen, trying to buck them both off. The animal did
not want the unclean smell of death on its back. It whinnied in anger
and disgust. Stephen finally subdued the animal's fear of the injured
vampire. The wind seemed to howl right through Lestat. He felt more
like a ghost than a vampire, the very idea caused him to loudly laugh
along with the laughter of the wind. He clutched on to Stephen,
Louis' words keening in his ears; I don't love you. But you do,
Lestat thought to himself, I know you do.

Three weeks after he was rescued, Lestat waited with his body pressed
into a large stuffed chair for Stephen to return home.

"You visited them?" Lestat asked

"Oui," Stephen said. He went to his piano, his strong fingers
pounding on the keys. He then shifted into a melody which hit the
shores of Lestat's brooding thoughts.

"Are they well then?" Lestat asked, wishing he could drown the love
he still had for them in his mortal lover's music.

They are leaving Lestat. I saw their luggage. She is trying to put up
a front of happiness. I feel she is aggrieved out of stress. He is
trying for her sake to put up an outward facade of strength. Inside,
I sense, he is feeling lost and panicked.

"He cannot leave. She'll be the death of him!" Lestat snarled,
angrily pacing the room, "I will not have it. Curse you Claudia you
bitch,"

"Lestat, please let them go, if that is what they want."

"Never, You must help me to stop them," Lestat implored him, "Would
you give me everything of yourself?"

"No, not everything. Not my life," Stephen whispered.

"How little!" Lestat said, taking him in his arms, seducing Stephen
with his terrible need to be understood, "How little you love me, how
little you trust me with what is most meaningful to me and to you.
Your life. Once the act is done between us, the curtain shall not
fall. Kiss me, my beloved, and trust me. I will introduce you to new
music."

Stephen's lips parted for him, submissively, he allowed Lestat to
undress him till he stood before him naked. With each removal of
clothing; his flesh received a dazzling bite till he was bleeding
profusely onto Lestat.

Stripping himself, Lestat ceased his frantic little bites, he gave
Stephen the fatal deep bite. He focused on the pounding within
Stephen's beating heart, ignoring the passionate screaming notes of
music in Stephen's soul. A physical orgasm rocked Stephen's body, his
ejaculation joined Lestat's ejaculation. First, Stephen felt as if
his heart would be pulled right out of his chest as he was being
drained. Panting, Stephen's body dimmed to vision, touch, noise, and
sound; the only sensation he felt was taste. The taste of vampire
blood flowing freely down into his throat..

Lestat carried him to the bedroom, laying his feeble limbs underneath
the covers.

"I'm cold! More cold than you have ever made me feel! What have you
done to me? My hands," the dying musician cried, "They will not move
as they once did. My hands! Lestat, they are stiff with death."

"My blood is weak. Fear not for your hands. I will enlist the blood
of a stronger vampire to cure your hands and to cure myself. First we
must gather up our coven."

"Do you mean to kill her?"

"Non, not yet, perhaps not ever. Not till I discover if she has any
regrets. I can not shelter a creature who knows not where her best
interests lie," Lestat said, his scared face smiling, his fangs
glittering, "I love her too much just to kill her with no words
between us first."

Tenderly, Lestat wiped Stephen's face, attending to his dying body
till nothing remained on the bed only human waste and a shimmering
fledging. Taking Stephen out for his first kill, he wished he had
time to worry about Stephen's physical weakness. All he desired was
Claudia weeping for forgiveness on her knees, or an unrepenting
Claudia dead at his feet.

Breaking into Rue Royal the two of them cornered Claudia and Louis.

"I told you to stay away from us!" Louis hissed.

"Listen to reason. For once in your life!" Lestat snarled at Louis.

Chapter 12

"Reason? What kind of reason can a monstrosity like you have! Claudia
told me, she told me everything! The threats! The abuse she has put
up with for years from you," Louis yelled. "How could I have been so
blind!"

"The what!" Lestat yelled back.

"It's true! Tell him the truth! Didn't you strip me naked! Didn't
you!" she accused. "Didn't you taunt me!"

"Claudia!" Lestat screamed his face becoming ugly with resentment and
shame, "Don't believe her. She's telling lies! Half truths! Oui, I
taunted you because I was angry with you."

"You killed Jean's father to punish me for falling in love with
Jean," she ranted.

"Please, it's not true," Stephen cried, trying to catch her before
she stormed out of the room.

Turning her full fury on him, Claudia grabbed a poker stick, slamming
it into the newly born vampire's skull.

"Non, you devil! I'll kill you," Lestat yelled throwing himself at
her.

Blood seeped out of Stephen's head.

Pulling Lestat off of Claudia, Louis savagely kicked Lestat, pounding
him mercilessly with his fists, biting at his hands, when Lestat
tried tried to hold him down. Lestat threw him off. Snarling, Lestat
ran for Claudia, his eyes red with rage.

Cursing, Louis threw a lantern. Stepping back in terror, Louis
screamed, "Nooo!" The flames caught the scent of Stephen's blood on
the floor, consuming it like it was kerosene. Relentlessly, the
flames swarmed up upon Lestat

"You believed her!" Lestat screamed, his tears turning into flames.

"Lestat, my God I had to believe her. Who else does she have to
believe her!" Louis wept "You should have stayed away. I begged you
to stay away!"

"The child, she's on fire, too!" Stephen yelled.

Claudia danced about. An imp in hell, her taffeta dress hot with
flames.

"Take her to safety, Louis," Stephen yelled. Louis hesitated, torn
between Claudia and Lestat. "Do it now, Louis there isn't much time!"
Stephen yelled. They exchanged a look, in a second, with his eyes,
Stephen pleaded with Louis to trust him. Louis ran Claudia to safety.
Stephen hurried to Lestat. With all the strength he possessed, he
pushed Lestat out the window into the pelting rain. Lestat landed in
the mud his skin hissing under the rain drops. "Jump," Lestat yelled
at Stephen. Flames captured Stephen's frail body.

Screaming. Stephen fell backwards into the oven of a room, his
agonized screams tore at the air and rain, outside. The flames made
him jerk about as if he were in a epileptic fit.

Lestat leaped into the air to pull Stephen to safety. Rue Royal
exploded in a whoosh of fire from the escaping gas. Flying backwards
from the explosion, Lestat fell like a comet. Hitting his head on a
rock. The world became black.

He woke up in a grave. His body instinctively had dug a grave even
while he was knocked out cold. Frantically, digging himself out, he
ran to Rue Royal, calling Stephen's name. There on what remained of
the couch was the cinder and ashes of Stephen

Horrified, Lestat wept, his tears fell on the vampire's corpse's face
making it appear as if it too were weeping blood tears.

"You've always been such a liar, you've always been such a liar,"
Lestat said sobbed, "you told me you loved your music, you loved
yourself more than me. You lied. You loved me more. Why didn't I know
this about you? Why didn't you tell me? Because I was in love with
Louis? You felt it wouldn't matter to me? You saved a monster like
me. Why? I should have ran away with you. I should have let them meet
their doom. I love you! Do you hear me! I love you!" His hand went
right through the ashes.

"So, Claudia," he raved. throwing the ashes about, "Is this a debate
between us? Oui, a death of a lover for the death of a lover. You, my
child, you do not get the last word!"

Curling up into a ball, crying tears of grief, his body was raw and
oozing with burning wounds, he whispered "This was not your fault,
Louis. It my fault. I created her. Now, I will destroy her."

"And what makes you think I would let you?" Armand said, standing
over Lestat "My, it does seem those who insist on breaking the rules
come to a sad end? Does it not?"

"Leave me alone! You bastard! Come to laugh at me? Then laugh!"

"What a way to speak to me, your old friend," he smiled, kicking
Lestat square in the face, "I believe I will have the last word here,
Lestat."

"Stop! Are you insane?" Lestat begged, the ache on his face was no
match against the pain he felt missing Stephen. "Let me grieve for
him in peace. Leave me alone to my revenge. This has nothing to do
with you."

"Revenge? I have a little revenge I want to collect on too. Am I
insane? Oui, insane over you, lover," Armand cooed, throwing his fist
right into Lestat's throat. Caressing the bruise, Armand latched
himself on the purpling, red flesh, tearing ruthlessly at the burned
rags on Lestat's body.

Laughing, he scraped his nails on Lestat's hide, leaving bright
bleeding marks, "Remember how you beat me? I should put my cock in
your smoldering, sumptuous ass while I suck you almost to the husk of
a man you always were."

You are not animal enough for that, my angel," Lestat yelled,
scratching at Armand's amber eyes.

"You are not interesting enough, "Armand said cloyingly, "Defeated,
wretched, injured! By a little girl no less. All of this makes you to
be rather insignificant. Where is the wolf killer, the gaudy one in
his ridiculous red cape? Non, Lestat you have blood on your hands,
the blood of my coven. They would still be alive today if you haven't
have ended our way of life."

"Hypocrite. You didn't have to kill them," Lestat yelled in pain as
he was lifted up by his arms, Laurent and Santiago dragged a naked
Lestat away. They followed Armand with preternatural speed to a ship.
Armand ordered them to lock Lestat in a coffin.

"Please, I need your friendship, your blood, not your anger against
me," Lestat cursed, scratching on the lid.

"You need what!" Throwing the coffin lid open, Armand laughed, "Only
you would make demands on me to be your friend, Lestat," he said,
"what do you want me to do as your friend?"

"Help me, cure me, give me back Louis. Then join us, we three could
be a coven," Lestat boldly offered.

Ah, you liar, Armand thought bitterly, Him you would never share with
me. And I do not want to share you with anyone.

"Ransom, I require a ransom before I set you free. A small one. Very
small, I want the girl. I'm entitled to the girl. She was never meant
to be one of us," Armand said gently, "Look at what she has done to
you. You've been punished enough for your crimes. Come out of the
coffin Lestat. Join me." Armand lifted the lid so Lestat could sit
up.

"The blood," Lestat said, touching Armand's wrist.

"Is yours, after she dies. After a trail if you will."

"Louis."

"Louis' fate in entangled with yours. If he lives then so will you,"
Armand said, "And if he dies."

"So will I?" Lestat said flatly, "What do you want?"

"An understanding between us that's all," Armand said playing with
Lestat's blustered chest. Lestat winced at he touch. Armand's hand
felt as cold as cream on his hot, bothered flesh. The paleness of
Armand's hands cauterized his burns.

"Not till you give me the blood will we reach an understanding
between us us," Lestat said coldly, ignoring the pleasure Armand's
touch was giving him,

"Dine on this then" Armand laughed, throwing a rat into the coffin,
slamming down the lid on Lestat.

Opening the lid after the rat was done with its squealing, Armand
said, "How was dinner?"

"It will do for now," Lestat said frostily, throwing the rat out,
climbing out of the coffin,

Armand jumped away. He laid himself out on his bed, "We will have to
share this room. You and I."

Laurent, a radiant vampire who shed his mortal self at sixteen smiled
respectfully at Lestat. "Do you remember me?" he asked Lestat, "At
the catacombs. Do you remember I begged Armand to kill you and
Gabrielle. He would not."

"Silence, Laurent. This time I may well kill him," Armand said
coldly.

Santiago leered insolently at Lestat.. Lestat leered right back.
Santiago marveled at the injured, naked vampire standing insolently
before them.

You are an ugly vision from hell, a beast, your face and body in
burned tatters, and yet here you as lording it over us as if you had
us in your power, Santiago thought, knowing full well now why Armand
referred to Lestat as being royalty.

"We're your kind Lestat," Armand said, "There is no need to hate us.
We do not hate you." he reached his hands out to Lestat to have him
join him under the covers.

"So, it always comes to this doesn't it?' Lestat said, desiring the
slender boy's blood flowing through the ravishing flesh Armand was
forever entombed in. Armand looked as seductive as any high class
whore. Only he wasn't a slut. Armand rarely fell in love, or even in
lust. Lestat knew the imp's affections were exclusive to him alone,
so much so that what Armand felt for him caused Armand exquisite pain
and longing.

"Look at you with your servants worshipping you. I'm Lestat, Prince
of Brats, some fools say. I say I'm the Prince of Pride. My pride
cannot find a place in your bed. Submission is not to be found in
me."

"Not even for him, your fledgling? Bind yourself to my will. I will
even put you back on the stage."

"Where you torture mortals and immortals alike with your twisted
fancies? Non, give me Louis take Claudia," Lestat said with a rawness
in his voice, "And we shall part friends,"

"Play a game of cards with me then my friend," Armand said pleasantly
holding a stacked deck, "I sympathize with you my dear Lestat more
and more, I do adore you. And this adoration of you leaves me with no
choice but to help you. I know how it feels to lose one's family.
More than once it has happened to me. I could not resist frightening
you. I will return Louis to you. We will part friends and Claudia,
well Claudia must die. She did after all try to kill her maker. We
can't have that go unpunished, We will kill her for you. Not you.
Your compassion for her will cause you to bumble the job!"

"Why do you say these words to me?"

Because Lestat love and hate. They are two strong emotions. Love for
you my brother always out weighs the hate I feel for you. Now, you
need help. Do you not? Do you have anyone else to go to besides me?"

"Non," Lestat said sitting on the bed.

"Then we are allies," Armand said. Grinning at Lestat, he slipped
under the covers. Soon he tossed out his elegant, brown French coat,
his breeches, and his shirt till he was naked under the blanket.
Laurent dutifully picked up his clothes from the floor.

"Let me grieve for him," Lestat said in a hushed voice.

"Which him are we talking about?" Armand said his eyes as cold as ice
water.

"Him."

"If you mean dear Stephen, don't be an ass. You would have lost
interest in him without his music. If his hands never again could
play the same notes you would have abandoned him."

"You are so very wrong about what I loved about him."

"Your love for another will always be polluted by your desire for
Louis," Armand said, tossing his head, "I don't mind too terribly.
Are we partners then?"

"Oui," Lestat said taking a card, knowing he had no choice. Santiago
and Laurent left. Breathlessly, Lestat let Armand kiss him. His
kisses felt more devouring than the flames.. He tried to imagine he
was kissing Stephen, instead he kept thinking of Louis, with his
emerald eyes half closed, murmuring the delightful endearments Armand
was really whispering in his ear. His burned body stretched against
his bones. Armand's hands moved against his aching flesh. Pressing
his hard cock into Armand's hips, he rocked his swollen member inside
the young boy's body. Armand clasped his hips with his long legs,
making Lestat push harder and deeper inside of him. Pressed against
his back, burying his face in Armand's curly hair, Lestat gave him
practiced kisses on his face, rubbing his nipples with his skillful
hands, lowering his hands to play with his sensitive cock. Armand
undulated forward and backwards, letting Lestat work his cock with
his smooth hands. He was trapped between his hands, and his cock .
With a shuddering moan, Armand ejaculated in Lestat's hand making it
wet and sticky. Lestat ejaculated inside of Armand's quivering,
arching body.

"Stephen," Lestat whispered, laying back on the bed.

I remember the night, the last night, I spent with him before my
injuries. Stephen was playing his newest composition. He hurried to
me, asking me if he liked it. His eyes earnestly searching my face to
see if my words of praise were true. And my words were true, Lestat
thought, I was again enraptured and enchanted. Stephen threw on his
cloak, he was wearing one of his designs, it was green, damn me, I
thought it would suit Louis better.

We went to a sidewalk cafe. Over the smells of horses and sewer, I
could smell the scent of whip cream and tart backed apples from the
crepe he was eating. He was laughing and talking, telling me how the
cream tasted bland and sweet at the same time, ah what a contrast to
the green apples. He then sipped on hazel nut liquor. His breath
close to mine, smelling of hazel nuts, tasting of laughter. My God.
We went to a tavern to party with his friends, our friends now.
Bernard put on a velvet hat with an absurd feather on it. He was
playing the role of Lelio, a role I once played. He teased Stephen
into getting into a woman's skirt. Then he pretended to seduce him.
It was hilarious He pounced on my lover, this heterosexual man,
laughing, pretending to be making mad passionate love to him. Stephen
legs were up in the air. Stout Bernard's body thrusting between his
legs. Stephen grinned at me, he started to go, oh, oh, ohhh, and he
was matching Bernard thrust for thrust. No arousal between them. Ah,
I was so aroused. After it was over, I dragged Stephen outside. I was
barely polite to our friends, they all understood.

We rolled on the ground. We hit against a tree. I hiked up his skirt,
undoing his breeches, I barely remembered to lube him with blood. My
cock was bone hard, so was his. I entered into him, quick with no
tenderness. I fucked him. Playing with his pectoral muscles, his
perfect taunt brown nipples, his perfect mouth smelling of wine and
hazel nuts. My pubic hair was up against his ass as I thrust in and
out of his tight chute. His mouth beautiful with movement and kisses.
I couldn't get enough of his voice, his body, the music within him.
After I deposited my seed in him, so much seed, I swear if he were a
woman and I a man, he would be pregnant with twins. He then took my
cock into his mouth, to the hilt, licking swirling his tongue around
it, sucking it hard, cradling my balls. I thrust my fingers into his
hot hole, he gasped with my cock in his mouth. I knew I hit the
pleasure spot inside of him. I stroked it as he gave me head, his
head bobbing up and down. He ejaculated on my leg. I ejaculated once
again inside of him. I never felt I owned a man as much as I owned
him. When it was over, I caressed his face and lips with the silk
gloves I was still wearing. I murmured to him, I love you. I love
you. He said, I love you too. He told me I was hot in bed. Then he
laughed. Telling me to get off of him because I was crushing him. I
only shifted my weight. I didn't want to let him go. It all seemed so
permanent. That night. The tree we hit was a peach tree. There were
peach blossoms on his face, in his hair. He was bathed with sweat,
moonlight, and starlight. I decided a commitment with him would burn
the angry itch in my crotch for Louis, because I did love him. I did.

After Claduia, I was bitter. I convinced myself I couldn't trust
Stephen or anyone else. I didn't want to touch him till my body and
face healed, through I knew he wanted to make love to me, I couldn't.
I didn't make him out of the love I had and still have for him. I
made him to help me hurt Claudia.

"Stephen" Lestat said sadly, "forgive me."

"Non, Lestat, Stephen is dead. It is me in bed with you. I will have
to do," Armand said, smiling at him.

Lestat with lizard like swiftness went for his wrist.

"No blood," Armand gasped, as Lestat tried to bite him, "Not until we
both get what we want."

Once in Paris, Lestat was thrown into a hole, with nothing but the
poisonous food of corpses to dine on, not even rats were allowed him.

"His spirit will break," Armand voice rang out under Lestat's screams
of tormenting, torturous hunger, "He'll be driven near enough to
insanity where I can compel him to testify against Claudia to save
his Louis from the fate he is enjoying now."

"A vampire on trail with a mortal audience watching. You're a
genius," Santiago said, This will be your masterpiece."

"You speak the truth," Armand said smiling pleasantly, "It will be my
masterpiece,"

"Why torture him through?" Santiago said puzzled, through he did so
enjoy listening to Lestat suffer, "He agreed you could have Claudia,"

"I do not trust him not to change his mind," Armand said , "I could
tell from his thoughts he was too weak to shield from me, he still
loves her. At the very last minute, he will end up trying to rescue
her. Non, it's better this way, Every night I crack into his mind and
I force him to relive the night Stephen died. The guilt alone will
cause him to demand we put Claudia's head on a platter. And once
she's dead. Ah, the hate he will have of himself. Revenge for Stephen
cannot be sweet for him. He will forever weep for both Claudia and
Stephen. He should have loved me as I demanded of him, and none of
this would have happened. Non, Lestat you deserve to suffer for not
falling into my trap. You always made me be responsible for your
mistakes, Louis, Claudia, and Nicky. Now let me take responsibility
for the biggest mistake I ever made. Being in love with a fool like
you! Once she and Louis are dead my revenge and justice will prevail
Lestat will not only be testifying against Claudia, his words will be
an indictment against himself. He's nothing but a rabbit of a
vampire, humping around, making one pathetic offspring after another.
Let us hear in his own voice what a failure he is as a maker."

"Listen, he's stopped his caterwauling. Now he is humming that tune
he likes to hum when he can not stand to scream anymore," Santiago
said.

"Do you like it?"

"I've never been one for music, but this tune." Santiago said,
starting to wave his finger about like a conductor.

"Write down the notes. Write me a play. We will use the music for a
play. Write me a play about a vampire who loves music till he finds
out the music does not love him back," Armand said smiling a winsome
smile. "Write it, if you please."

"What is the music called?"

"Stephen's music? I do not know if he named this piece. I will call
it: Put to rest"

Chapter 13

"The two of then have made it to Paris then," Armand said dryly,
standing on the latch door of Lestat's underground cell.

"Oui, they are a pretty pair to watch. Colorful in their fashionable
human garb. She is as pretty as a bebe doll. He as ravishing as a
sin."

"Execute him."

"With pleasure," Santiago said, towering over Armand. He almost
laughed out loud with anticipation at the fun he would have with the
elegant slender vampire before he set him on fire. Those thighs,
those eyes, pure cream to the greedy cat.

Armand, Santiago thought, may be pretty in his boyish ways, but ah,
Louis has the full bloom of a young man. Never have I seen such a
sensual, yet guileless face.

Armand watched Santiago slip out. Fully aware of what Santiago had
mind for Louis. He wondered if he should join in on Santiago's fun.

Collapsing on top of the door, a single red tear fell down his white
face. Lestat, you have no idea what true evil is. The responsibility
it takes to exist in this damnable world. The length one has to go to
through to live in peace. Would you have us hunted down as the rogue
vampire race is being hunted down by mortals in Romania? Lucky for us
they think they are hunting down insane mortals. The vampire Germanic
line is dying out from the blunders they have made. Many of them are
born revenants because they did not follow the rules to keep their
race's blood strong. You know Claudia, Nicky, and Louis would have to
perish if they proved to be lacking. I, the coven master, the
protector of our breed, I have no choice. You have no choice but to
hate me. "

So, hate me, damn you," Armand whispered rebelliously, "I will give
you just reason to hate me by my cruelty to you. What else did you
ever have to offer me in the end, but your contempt for what I felt I
must do?"

The next night, holding a dagger in her hand, Claudia stole to her
father's coffin. Throwing off the lid, she sent the blade plunging
down.

Thrusting his hand up, Louis stopped the dagger's descent. Twisting
it out of her hand, he threw it across the room.

Laughing, her hand muffled her laughter.

"Never do that again," Louis said coldly.

"I wasn't gong to hurt you," Claudia said gaily, "I just wanted to
remind you to be on guard."

"I need no such reminders," Louis said grimly, emerging from his
coffin. "You have a taste for sharp objects, n'est-ce-pas?" he said
dryly.

"Never mind," Claudia colored, "Don't you like to live your life
tensely?" For a moment she remembered Jean asking her the same
question. "Tell me again in every minute detail what happened last
night." Claudia played nervously with her slash tied around her
waist.

"I was being followed. I was set upon by a vampire. He attacked me.
Another one stopped him, from, from." Louis stopped, nausea over took
him as he remembered how he after he tried his best to fight the
vampire off, he was falling into unconsciousness. The vampire's
breath was cold and brutal on his throat. His attacker's tongue was
licking his throat, then along his jaw. The vampire's long gloved
hands fumbled between his legs, squeezing him till he whimpered in
agony. "He was determined to kill me when the other one stopped him,"
Louis siad coldly.

"The other, Armand!" Claudia breathed, "The master of the theatre of
vampires."

Claudia went to her desk, her face went from exhalation to cold
indifference. She deserted Louis to his loneliness. Caring nothing at
all for him, she convinced herself over and over again.

She wrote:

My dearest Armand:

I love you so much! I love you differently than how I loved Jean.
Jean was of the past. A product of my failure. You! When I think of
you, I think of doors opening. A future of possibilities.

I could not live with Lestat, nor can I live with Louis. Please
understand You are right children leave their parents. What other
choice did I have? I was not attracted to either of them. I felt as
long as they were alive I would be frozen in time. Somehow welded to
their continuing nightmare. And it was a nightmare, Fighting,
resistance, all they did nightly was avoid their feelings for each
other, thrusting me in the middle. Always forcing me to take sides.
making me feel guilty for whatever I did. All the love they should
have given to each other, they lashed out with that love upon me,
using love as a weapon. It was pride which kept Lestat from Louis'
bed. Anger at having to to force Louis to stay with him by creating
me. This pride made him vicious, mocking to the one he loved most of
all. And Louis in return punished Lestat with his sorrow, guilt, and
weaknesses.

Suffer, even underneath their rare occasions of laughter, hurting
each other was all they spent their so called immortality on. A
waste. I could not live this way forever. In vain, there was no
escape for me with Jean, no escape after Jean died, till you, Armand,
you tossed me the keys.

Kill him. Kill Louis. For it is a kindness you would be performing. I
never thought he would miss Lestat so much. So much! He talks to me,
but his dreams are all about Lestat. So be it, let him join his lover
in the grave. As it should be for his sake. Beloved, once they are
dead, my childhood is over. And I can start my life anew leaving my
past with its numerous mistakes behind me. I have searched for you
where I thought vampires existed. Nothing, I found nothing but
imbeciles. Now I am here, frightened. nervous, and over overjoyed!!
Why did you lie to me? Why? Lestat did not die till Louis himself
killed him by setting him on fire. Love me, don't lie to me, you're
my only hope. Only you.

Through we are not! Sometimes Louis and I seem like we are lovers.
Just out of pure loneliness we both feel. And when I feel the
attention we pay to each other is going too far. I'm cold to him And
he becomes dire and sad. He thinks I am angry with him, because I
want to go further than the innocent kisses he gives me. He's unaware
his kisses on my cheek feel carnal to me. He's wrong about why I am
cold towards him, I'm too embarrassed to tell him that he is wrong. I
do not want him. I only want you.

Your lover, Claudia

I only want you, Claudia thought to herself. A shudder went through
her, she pictured Jean sitting on the grass with her.

"I only want you, Jean," she whispered. "I can not have you. Can I?
This is foolishness. I cannot look back. It is Armand I love."

Angry and embarrassed at her weakness for remembering Jean, she
crumbled the letter, tossing it in the fire place, taking up Armand's
card, she ran out of the townhouse, Louis following her imploring her
to wait.

They mingeld in the crowd of mortals, Claudia refused to take Louis'
hand. Louis took a program from Santiago. Santiago reached out and
tickled him under the chin.

Hissing with fury, Louis quickly slammed his fist into his face.

Smirking, Santiago touched the blood on his lip, licking the liquid
off his finger. "Beautiful slave. You've been an immortal untouched
far too long."

A child of twelve stood at Santiago's side. A mortal child. Roughly,
Santiago caressed the boy. Armand joined them, laughing, bending
down, kissing the boy's throat. "This little prize is Denis. A drink
perhaps Louis? Take a drink from him. I have much to offer you. The
both of you."

Claudia watched amazed, disturbed as her father bit into the boy's
wrist. The child whimpered, seduced, drugged by the pain. Armand
caught Denis before he fell. Claudia noticed Armand didn't offer her
the boy's wrist.

"This way," Denis said jauntily, leading them to their seats. He was
dark haired, gypsy child beautiful. His clothes were very fine. "I'll
lead you to where the best place is to view the show."

They took their seats. Watching the nude mortal woman being mentally
tortured, and physically tormented on the stage. The lust Louis felt
for the gang bang of feeding vampires on the screaming girl was
surpassed by the longing her felt for the masterful Armand on the
stage. Armand now caressing the dead woman's corpse.

It's not love, it's not even near love, Louis assured himself, I need
him. To belong to him. To be held by another. I have no hope with
Claudia for any type of real life. Children grow up, then their
parents they find a new life, with new people to love, Louis blushed
at his horrible, rebellious thoughts, reminding himself Claudia was
his life,

Armand watched Louis from the stage, enamored, bewitched, I can see
why he loves you. You're beautiful. His smiled deepened and became a
smile of sarcasm. You're nothing but a night animal like myself. I
will bed you. Then destroy you.

Claudia and Louis went back stage. All the vampire actors are the
dancers in my dream, she thought to herself, But they are all hostile
to me, or indifferent. As indifferent and as bored with me as Armand
is. Is he angry with me for Louis still being alive?

"Such a beautiful dress of yellow, cherie," Celeste, an actress all
in black, said smirking, "Ah, cherie, the color it burns my eyes, it
is so bright."

Claudia was tempted to step back and lean against Louis for comfort.
Courageously, she made herself take a stand, "Merci, ma fair
Mademoiselle Crow. And your sleek dress of black blends quite well
with the evening. I would not notice you if you did not happen to
talk to me."

I killed my family for nothing, Claudia thought dismayed, as she
watched Celeste's smirk become an expression of dislike.

Before they left the theatre, Armand whispered to Louis, "Meet me
here tonight," He said it loud enough for Claudia to hear. He made a
cutting motion against his throat while Louis wasn't looking.

You mean to kill him tonight, Claudia thought a chill possessing her.

"I would like to kill them all," Claudia said angrily to her father
as they left, her little hands folded into fists, "I would like to
start with him, that damnable smart ass, Armand. I would love to suck
him dry and have his powers, I would love for them to be afraid of
me. I would love to rule over them with a tyrant's anger."

"Claudia," Louis said shocked, "You mustn't say such things." Then he
coldly said, "Haven't you killed enough?"

Ah, if only you knew Armand. Father, if you only knew, Claudia
thought, unable to confess to Louis what a fool she had been. She
felt torn, thinking, There must be a reason for Armand's show of
indifference. I know he loves me. Once Louis is dead, I will know the
truth about how he feels about me. If he doesn't love me, I will just
die!

That night the naked boy Denis was stretched out upon the bed. Armand
bit into the child's abdomen, blood seeped out from out of the wound
making the boy's stomach sticky and rosy. His slender boy's body had
the oil of orange blossoms rubbed into its flesh, his bloody thighs
smelled of orange blossoms and blood. The more Denis sweated the more
he smelled of flowers, as if he were a scented candle melting between
the two vampires. Gently, Denis caressed Armand's hair. Denis hummed
a Stephen's tune to himself. He gasped intermittently as Armand
sucked. Armand rolled him over to be abandoned in to the arms of
Santiago. Santiago caressed the bleeding boy's lacerated limbs,
rubbing and stroking his small brown nipples, sliding his hand on the
child's erect small cock.

Hooking his pinkie finger between the boy's ass crack, Armand moved
his finger up and down, pressing it inward. Driving his fangs into
the boy's chest. Santiago drank little drinks. The child's legs
wrapped themselves around Santiago's slender nude pelvis.

"Join us Louis," Armand sighed, "He's delicious."

Louis stood stuffily by the bed, "I'm leaving," he said coldly.

"Don't leave. I have news of you, of yourself, and Claudia too,"
Armand said taking back Denis to fall back into his arms, "Take a
small drink with me," he coaxed.

Louis shook his head, "This is too simple for me. I need complexity."
Louis turned away.

"Then I leave the boy with you," Armand said imperiously, "Mortals
are complex."

Raising from the bed, dragging a lazy Santiago along with him, all
the dream aspects left the room along with the two vampires. And
there on the bed was a very earthy mortal smiling at Louis.

Louis cut into his own wrist, he knew his blood couldn't cause any
more damage to the injured. addicted boy than what had already been
done to him, Putting his bleeding arm to Denis' wounds, he closed the
flesh to heal.

"Why the devil do you care?" Armand said curiously, spying though the
key hole of the closed door. He watched Louis tenderly hold the
child. Louis let the mortal boy taste from his wrist, not out of
lust, but out of compassion. Louis knew the child was in pain,
desiring to be fed blood, only to later fall into more pain again and
again, helplessly drawn to vampire blood, helpless to hunt for it on
his own. The only way he could attain it was to allow himself to be
used by any vampire in the theatre who desired his mortal warm flesh,
and mortal taste.

Denis drew himself up. A resentful, rebellious dignity on his face.
It all crumbled away into a child's ' wishful shyness as he
whispered, "This isn't all I do for my master. You know? I clean the
theatre during the day. Sometimes, I paint the backdrops. I painted
the one you saw last night. Did you like it? Did I use enough black?
That seems to be their favorite color," the boy laughed.

"Oui," Louis said, feeling shocked that the child could still make a
joke. It made him more aware he was addressing a human child. "Oui.
Yet, is there enough darkness in all the world for them?" Louis said
seriously, "It was enough black for me."

A tray of food was on the bed stand, Louis stomach turned. The steak,
the fried potatoes, even the dressing on the greens were dyed red
with food color. All of the food lie cold in a puddle of red.

"I'm going to be like you some day," Denis said dreamily. His creamy
flesh was brazenly glamorous against the black bedspread.

Evil, you're going to be an actor on the stage, laughing at mortals
you're destroying, Louis thought his deep set eyes were troubled.
Have I made things too complicated. Have I? Is this all the meaning
life holds for a creature like myself? This brand of brutality. Have
I been lying to myself with my mortals ways, and my mortal
conscience?"

Hesitating, Louis said, "The woman murdered on the stage. Did you
like watching her die?"

Denis eyes grew large and ashamed, "Non," he confessed, "Forgive me
for being a weakling." He closed his eyes tightly as if he wanted to
banish the memory of her dying, then he opened his eyes, staring
steadily at Louis, "I felt sorry for her. When I'm a vampire like
you, I will have no feelings for mortals. I will enjoy killing a
woman just as well as you, just as well as anyone else."

Denis coughed, falling back on the pillows. Louis felt both sympathy
for him, and distance from him.

Cutting the steak, Louis speared a piece of meat, "Here, let me feed
you. You're tired," Louis said, holding the fork to the boy's lips.

Amazed, the boy gingerly bit the meat. He swallowed it in a quick
gulp, taking another piece when Louis offered it up.

"Take a drink, drink it slowly," Louis commanded, holding the wine
glass to Denis.

Obediently, Denis drank. "But monsieur, the wine the food," he
confessed, "None of it has any more taste for me non, not any more.
I'm fed to be kept alive until they kill me. I can't wait till they
kill me monsieur. Finally. I will make a good vampire. You will see."

Denis tried not to, but he surrendered to sighing on Louis' chest.
His mouth hiccuping with wine and blood. He was hungry, almost more
hungry for the kindness he was being offered than for Louis' fragrant
blood. Louis wrapped the blanket around Denis' nudity. Nudity which
was bedeviled by the puncture wounds of many vampire bites.

Chapter 14

Louis has an almost human heart, just like that damn fool cousin of
mine, Henri has. Damn Louis. He has the beauty to complement the
beauty inside of him, Armand thought awed, falling fatally for Louis'
spell. Love him. I want to love an angel like that, Armand thought
greedily.

"What do you see?" Santiago laughed, "What is he doing to our boy?"

"Get away!" Armand screamed, irritated, slapping Santiago hard in the
face.

Louis is right, he thought, Santiago is a buffoon,. They all are
buffoons.

Armand gritted his teeth, sick to death of his coven.

I can arrange for the deaths of many, he thought coldly, watching
Louis and Denis through the peep hole. And I have the weapon to do it
with. Louis is strong enough to rid these walls of the rot which
lives undead here. He can be made to be desperate enough so he will
be easy to manipulate.

Smiling at Santiago, Armand whispered, "Charming. Isn't he?"

Slipping on his breeches, putting on his day shirt, he next put on
his frock coat. Armand said while pulling up his fine, gray
stockings, "Santiago, I would have you go hunting for me. If you
please, for as many roses as you can find. For the scenery of
tomorrow night's play. Make sure they are long stemmed. I want to
whip the woman we have locked in the cell with roses before we kill
her. First, we shall caress her with the flowers calling her
beautiful, praising her for her good works. I will have you be
dressed as a priest. You will do the praising and the flattering, the
touching. Then you will beat her with the thorns. Call her a filthy
devil who has no redeemable soul. A whip shall be added to the play
too. Would you be a dear and do this for me?"

Santiago knew he had no choice but to go on this wild goose chase.
Armand's use of the words "would you" was his polite way of saying:
You shall do this, or I shall toast your head. Once Santiago left him
in peace, Armand strode into his bedroom, "Denis, be a good lad, and
leave Monsieur du Pointe de Lac and I alone to talk."

Denis raised his head from Louis' protective arms. "Oui, master," he
said, taking his bundle of clothing along with him.

"I do not like how you treat him," Louis said coldly, stretched out
on the bed.

"Denis? Waste no tears for him my friend, unless you're in the habit
of crying for anything and everyone. Denis made his choice to join
us. He witnessed me at a kill, and he begged me to bring him on the
devil's road. Sweet little Judas, he wants me to teach him to be a
killer of men. When he is of age he will be rewarded. As for you
monsieur, you are a fine one to talk about children. Tell me did your
Claduia have a choice?"

"Non," Louis spiritedly, "Does any child have a choice when they are
brought into this world?"

"Ah, and does she love you for not giving her a choice?" Armand said
intimately, sitting on the bed.

"Where are the children?" Louis said briskly.

"The children?" Armand said smiling thinly.

"The children, children made to be vampires just as Claudia was made
to be," Louis insisted, "Surely in a coven of this size there has to
be children."

"Louis, you have to understand very few of our kind would ever dream
of bringing a child over simply because of the moral implications of
such a deed."

"Still a mother, or a father who left a child behind, may they not be
tempted?"

"Louis, if a child is brought into our world, by law the child is
executed."

"What! Why?" Louis said fearing for Claudia, "Did Lestat know?"

"Who is Lestat?" Armand asked with a cat ate the canary smile

"He's, he's," Louis said warily

"He's your maker of course," Armand said, staring at his nails, "Is
he still alive and how did he die if he's not?" He turned his amber
owl eyes on Louis

"I know what Santiago hinted at when he attacked me. He's wrong
Neither I nor Claudia killed him It was an accident We had a fire I
threw a lantern at him I didn't mean to kill him"

"It is a capital crime to kill your master as Santiago already
informed you," Armand said "Shall I make an exception for you too,
Louis how many exceptions do you think I can make?"

"Make only an exception for her. Throw me to the wolves, I don't
care," Louis said furiously

"You're a mighty fine wolf yourself A splendid killer"

"You mock me I did not kill Lestat!" Louis insisted

"I believe you didn't and if you did he probably drove you to it,"
Armand said coolly "Lestat and I have been friends, very close
friends, we've been lovers before you were even created"

"I see," Louis said carefully, feeling like he was being trapped "Did
Lestat know about the law concerning children?

"I doubt it," Armand mused, "Or perhaps he thought he could hide her
from our kind for forever. A child can not care for itself. The
vampire race has to be strong. We live in a world of humans who could
very easily destroy us. Lestat may have thought coven laws no longer
existed with the dissolution of my coven. He was wrong. These laws
have been in place long before my coven of the Children of Darkness
was created." Armand said blandly.

"You will make an exception," Louis said coldly, watching Armand's
hand steal up his calf.

"Do you think that I, Armand, the coven master, is above laws made
long before I was even created?" Armand said, his hand reaching up to
Louis' thigh.

"I will take the lead here," Louis said, surprising Armand by pinning
him on the bed. Slowly, Louis undid his two top buttons, licking and
teasing the Adam's Apple of his youthful throat. Armand's body
tingled at the wet touch at his throat. he felt amazed. With a wicked
flourish, Louis ripped open Armand's shirt. Armand succumbed to his
rough, grasping mouth licking and biting at his chest, his tongue
teasingly lapping at his nipples, his lips kissing the aroused flesh
and giving the small nubs little, biting tugs. He slid his fingers
down his flat abdomen, pressing his forefinger inside his tummy
button. Sliding his hands all over his exposed chest and stomach.
Louis reached down between his legs, touching his arousal with a
firm, forceful hand. Pulling down Armand's breeches, he turned him to
be face down on the bed, he fingered, caressed, and smacked Armand's
ass. The sight of red welts spreading on Armand's pale undead flesh
gave Louis a nasty thrill which he hated himself for having. Armand
wiggled, "Frig me, take your hand and stimulate my cock, and slap my
ass while you're going it, "Armand breathed lustfully.

"What are you doing?" Armand almost wailed as Louis got of the bed.

"I am going to Claudia of course," Louis said, "You can make an
exception,."

"I will see what I can do," Armand said trying to sound as official
as he could while being partially nude on the bed, his ass burning
with delicious pain, knowing he could do nothing for her.

"Oui, you do that. I am not repelled by you Armand. I feel I can
learn from you," Louis said, pulling Armand's hair, kissing his ready
mouth. Releasing him to fall back on the bed, Louis said, "I wish to
be engulfed into what a vampire's nature truly is. With Lestat, there
was nothing but petty hurts and evils. I resisted my nature out of
pure rebellion against him. I want to learn more about what we are.
Your coven may have the key to myself. But, only if I can trust
Claudia will be kept safe."

"I would be more enthusiastic about helping to keep Claudia safe, if
I knew for sure you would leave her, and stay with me," Armand said
between two kisses.

"She probably prefers my leaving her," Louis said, tracing his
fingers on Armand's abdomen, with a quick slap to Armand's face, he
reiterated, "If there is a way to do it. I will leave her. And you
and your coven will leave her in peace."

"I promise. I will not be the one who kills her. Or my coven," Armand
said, pressing his hand where Louis had hit him. He enjoyed the sting
playing on his face. He wondered how in the hell he could make such a
promise, "nor will I allow any other to kill her."

"See to it," Louis said, brushing his lips just almost against
Armand's mouth.

Claudia ran down the cobbled streets for the fist time in her life
she felt impossibly afraid.

Where is Louis? she thought, the wind smothering her cries for her
father, Is he dead finally? she thought numbly, wishing with all her
heart Lestat was still alive so he could help her save Louis from
Armand. A mistake this is all a mistake, I should have never brought
Louis here. She pictured Louis and Lestat together. The occasional
loving words between them. Ruined always eventually by Lestat's anger
against Louis. Everything, even the angry words between her fathers
she now missed desperately. And Stephen. It was all over for them all
once Lestat took him for a lover.

Entering a doll store she stared at the doll of an adult lady,
perfect in its fairness with joined limbs, it's face as white as a
vampire actress. Claudia's arms fell uselessly to her sides, her lips
trembled.

"Why do you cry little girl?" said a splendid woman with her red hair
knotted in a bun. The woman had tender, clever eyes.

"The doll I hate it," Claduia spit out, reaching for the porcelain
head, she crushed the face to powder.

"Child?" Madeline wondered, gathering Claudia in her arms, "What
matter of child are you?"

Claudia could sense loss in the woman who was surprised over her red
tears, "I am not a child," Claudia said. Clasping her hand's gently
on Madeleine's face, she said, "Perhaps, I am a child. Even an adult
misses her mother," " Claduia wept on her shoulder.

Patting her back, Madeleine sang a lullaby she once sang to the child
who has died in her arms mere months ago, "It's all right," Madeleine
cooed to her. Wiping her tears with a lawn handkerchief. "Who are
you?"

"You mean rather what am I . I'm a vampire, Don't laugh at me,
"Claudia said in a small voice, "I am. See." She exposed her fangs,
"You needn't be afraid of me. I'm searching for my father."

"He should not have left one as small as you are alone," Madeline
said, ignoring Claudia's fangs. She basked in Claudia's winter plum
cheeks, her angelic beauty.

Throwing her arms around Madeleine's neck, she felt warm, comforted,
and she was in such need for comfort.

All the dolls surrounded them, staring at her with their lifeless
glass eyes, and their pretty laces.

Shivering, Claudia kissed Madeline's mortal eye lids, "I know where
he is, but I'm afraid to find him," Claudia cried, "I must go. I'll
return to you. Please wait for me."

Leaving the doll shop, Madeleine's warmth still tingling on her cold
flesh, she crept to the darkened theatre. The dawn had but hours to
go.

The doors of the theatre flew open, there stood Armand to greet her.
A blood stain on his neck, a thin line of blood falling from his
lower lip. His wild auburn hair flew about in the breeze. He was
dressed in tawny finery. Claudia held her breath, drinking in his
beauty feeling as if she was in the middle of saying a prayer.

"Claudia," Armand frowned, "Why are you here?"

"Did you kill him?" she gasped.

"Ah," Armand said, smiling, he didn't want to tell her how before
Louis left, they had an enrapturing conversation of sin, heaven and
hell, of how Louis yearned to put an end to all things mortal in his
thinking. Armand even took him to his tower showing him all his
books. He had to smile, remembering long ago when he took Louis to
see his books when Louis was but fifteen years old, how he ended up
throwing his books at Louis. He was glad Henri took all those
memories away from Louis. The blood staining him was Louis' blood got
there by a more gentle, intimate moment than the one they had while
in bed together.

"I see in your thoughts you made a new friend, a Madeleine. Claudia I
decided Louis is now my new friend."

"What do you mean?" Claudia said in a hushed voice shocked and angry
with jealousy, "I want you to kill him! He doesn't belong to you! He
belongs to Lestat! He doesn't want to be with you! Kill him so he can
have peace with Lestat!"

"I probably shall," Armand said winsomely. "Kill him. Claduia do not
be angry. He's not near to being anything to me, unlike yourself. You
are my little one the one I adore," Armand cried, lifting her up in
his arms, tossing kisses on her face, "You love me Claduia, don't
you? Say it."

"I love you," Claudia said, wincing at the words, "small one,
submitting to the dainty nibbles on her ears and throat.

"You know what I promised you? I can perform a masterful trick,"
Armand said thoughtfully, his amber eyes grinning into hers, "Louis
will not leave you unless he feel you have a protector. Madeleine.
And even then," he said ruefully, "I doubt if he's ever really is
going to leave you. "

"I no longer want his protection, or Madeline's. I want yours,"
Claudia said , snuggling into his chest.

"You won't have to deal with him for much longer. I will compel him
my lovely one to take Madeline to the dark side. Then, I shall kidnap
you," he smiled at her, lying to her, "Louis, I will lock in a
coffin, he will not walk out of the theatre believing you to be still
alive. You my beloved, will walk out on long luscious legs. Then you
and I will runaway together. This coven bores me. We will have a
fresh start," he delighted in his cruel deception.

"Can you really give me legs?" she cried , clapping her hands.

"You shall have control over our coven if you would rather, instead
of our running away together. I can put up with them for another
century with you at my side," Armand lied, caressing her face, "It's
almost dawn. I'll take you home,"

Strolling to Louis' home, he deposited Claduia in Louis' arms. Armand
kissed Louis' cheek over Claudia's watchful eyes. Licking Claudia's
face under Louis' cautious eyes, Armand treasured them both.

It's a damnable pity I must kill her, he thought, It is impossible
for me to keep my promise to Louis, much less to her. Or is it? It is
possible to reattach an arm once its been severed from a vampire's
body. Could I fix Claudia's head on to an adult's body? What a freak
she would be! What if her face aged and grew to be compatible to her
new body? I wouldn't have to kill her then. Oui, perhaps there is a
way to make her into a woman. At least that may be one way. There is
yet one more way to make Claudia into a woman, Armand thought, trying
not to grin.

He stroked Claudia's face, leaning over her, he whispered into Louis'
ear, "Madeleine, pretty woman. You should meet her."

Who is Madeleine?" Louis asked. Claudia spent what was left of the
night telling him on and on about how much she wanted Madeleine to be
hers. Louis realized this may be his way out so he could live up to
his end of his bargain with Armand: himself for Claudia's safety.

The next night, Louis sat in a chair, his head in his hands, his
cloak around him Claw marks on his chest.

"She doesn't like you very much does she," Claudia said, patting
Louis' back.

Madeline emerged from the bedroom, her gown in shreds on her
preternatural body. A grimace was on her face.

Weak, pretty and not at all like my late husband was, she thought
disdainfully of Louis. She adored the womanly child standing beside
him

The both of them stared at Louis. Their faces blank, both indifferent
to him.

Louis held out his hand for Claduia to take. Laughing, Claudia dashed
to Madeleine.

Both of them waited expectantly for him to leave, wanting him to
leave them alone.

Louis instead picked up a book and read.

Claduia and Madeleine sighed, if he would not leave, they would
leave. Madeline and Claduia hurried into Madeleine's bedroom. Claudia
laughed as Madeleine tried on different ball room dresses till they
found the perfect one. They went out to hunt and catch. Their voices
merry and intimate.

He heard the door shut. He couldn't help but feel ridiculously
jealous at how Madeleine won Claudia's heart. How she mothered and
tended to Claudia. How Claduia responded to her. It chipped his
father's heart to be so abandoned for another. Wiping a tear from his
eye, Louis looked into the flames. He swore he could see Lestat's
face wearing the same lonely depressed expression on his face. "I
love you," he whispered into the flames, warming his hands.

A hand caressed his hair, turning his head he was face to face with
Armand.

"Who are you talking to Louis? All of us night breeds have so many
ghosts crowded into our evenings. Uninvited guests."

"You are welcome," Louis said calmly, "in these fours walls which I
mockingly call a home."

"Leave, if it's not to your liking. And come live with me."

"Enough, Armand," Louis said.

He stared at the fire, thinking, What will happen if you have me in
your bed? Can I be sure you will protect her? He looked at Armand. "
I miss your talk. Talk to me."

They fell into a gentle exchange of antidotes from each others
beliefs and dreams.

Kissing Louis good bye , telling him he had to leave for the theatre,
Armand's heart almost stopped. He is reneging on our bargain. A
bargain I can not keep. I told my coven I am waiting for the right
moment to kill the child.. I can not put it off forever. Gossip
spreads fast. If another coven master finds out, Santino, or Aloysius
who now heads the Roman coven, Iststar who holds Egypt in his grip,
any one of them, they will mock me if they assume I refuse to kill
the child. I will be a laughing stock. Any one of them will gladly
fly here to murder her. Damn, why did I make such an impossible
promise to Louis? The whole world of vampires are against the concept
of vampire children None of us endorses such an evil act, and we all
are as evil as monsters can be. All of us! Can't you see Louis making
her was a mistake which no one will tolerate! Damn, why must you love
her? She doesn't love you. She may be a woman's age, but she never
learned how to be anything but a vampire. All she does is takes and
takes, she never gives! And whose fault is that? Yours and Lestat's
damn the both of you. Damn me for falling in love with you, both you
and Lestat. Through, ah Louis, if Lestat loved me, you might will
become a cinder. And her. Even her. I like her, through, I don't love
her.

He didn't have to look in flames to see Lestat. Lestat was safely
locked away ready to play his role in the judgment of Claduia like it
or not.

Weeks later, breaking through the windows, Santiago, and Laurent
plucked Claudia and Madeline up in their arms. Other vampires subdued
Louis slamming his head repetitively into a wall till his head was a
bloody ball

Claudia, at first, had to scream to keep from laughing. It's going
perfect, perfect just as Armand promised it would go if Louis refused
to leave.

Santiago went to Louis, taking his pulse, happy to see he was
unconscious. Going to Claudia who was being held by Laurent, Santiago
picked her up, tossing her, and catching her to hug. "Lovely lady. My
master wants you."

"See, its all right, " Claudia thrilled to a terrified Madeline "They
are not going to harm us."

The vampires surprised her by all bowing and curtsying to her, her
eyes grew wide with succulent pleasure.

"A bride should wear white," Santiago, whispered in her ear "No
matter. Your dress of yellow is brilliant.

In triumph they escorted her to Armand.

The vampires danced around, arm in arm, swinging around, pretending
to throw rose petals. Madeleine walked on air on the arm of a
handsome, masculine vampire who tickled her ego with his words of
praise for her womanly charms.

They came into the theate, but is was clothed in darkness. Claudia
waited for any light, candles, gas lights, anything, her eyes cried
out for light.

Suddenly, they lit all the candles at once, and the room shimmered
and exploded with light.

"Lestat!" she screamed.

Standing in the glow, rays seemed to radiate from his slashed and
scared face, his lips were frozen with dread. He knew Louis was
locked in a coffin. Santiago was ready to drive a sword through a
slit in the coffin right through Louis' throat if Lestat dared to
mess up his lines.

Give the performance of your life, Santiago, projected into Lestat's
mind, Or at least for his life.

Chapter 15

Claudia looked around. There were mortals watching the stage The
vampires now wore black robes.

"I condemn you, my, my Claudia," Lestat said, almost falling to his
knees in terror at his words, "I condemn you for attempting to kill
me," His stomach turned, "your master."

Angrily his chest rose and fell, he was ready to strangle Armand,
inching closer towards him, Lestat stopped when he saw Santiago
shaking his finger at him. Santiago sprinkled kerosene on the coffin
which was holding a terrified Louis.

"I condemn you for killing my lover, Stephen, your brother in
darkness. I condemn you to death," Lestat said, wishing he had a
sword to murder them all. Stumbling, weak from polluted corpse blood,
he fell to his knees.

"You hear your master," Armand said taking her hand. "True you did
not kill him, but that my dear is a mere legal technicality. Now you
must die."

"Lestat's alive, he's been alive all this time," Claudia cried, "What
do you mean to do with him?' she asked as he opened the door of his
bedroom to her.

The vampries performed a mock execution of Lestat, pretending to lop
off his head with an ax. Santiago held up a doll's blond head.
Another vampire squeezed a pig's badder, blood spilled on the stage,
another put a a black cloth over Lestat's head. Louis heard it all.
Freeing him from his coffin, Laurant shook his head, warning Louis to
look sharp. The mortals all laughed at the comedy on the stage. Louis
cursing Lestat for a fool.

"Louis you have to listen to me! I didn't want to do this!" Lestat
begged.

The vampires held Louis by the arms as he struggled to vent his anger
out on Lestat, "Damn you to hell. You impotent creature. It was your
words which condemned her. You should have stayed dead!''

"Louis," Lestat screamed, "I didn't want to be a part of this.I
didn't want it to end this way. I love her. Louis, believe me, I
loved her!"

Lestat's words broke the ice around his heart. With a wild lunge
Louis tried to free himself.

"Lestat!" he screamed twisting and writhing in the vampires' hands,
"Lestat! Let me go. I want to be with him. Claudia! Lestat. Leave us
alone. Damn you. I'll kill you all, if you hurt any one of them!
Lestat! I believe you!"

Armand quickly projected into Louis' mind. This is all Santiago's
fault, and my coven's fault. When they discovered Lestat all wounded
and in rags they forced him to tell them who injured him. Santiago
threatened to take over the coven if I continued to ignore coven law.
I could well have been killed myself, and you all would have perished
without me. I will still try my best to save Claduia, Lestat, and
you, too. I am your only hope, Louis.

"Lestat," Louis screamed as he was being dragged away to be put back
in the coffin, "Armand," he whispered as the lid came down on him.
"Our only hope! Santiago! Noooo!" he screamed as the lid slammed
shut.

He can't be lying to me, Louis thought, banging his fists on the
coffin lid. He can't be. What if he's trying to control my mind.
Claudia, Claduia, he screamed over and over again.

Armand closed the door of his bedroom trapping Claudia inside. "It's
time to work the magic," he laughed.

Taking out a scalpel, Armand threw back the covers on his bed, there
lay a trussed up Madeleine.

"What are you going to to to her?" Claudia screamed.

Making jagged cuts in her throat, Armand quickly decapitated her,.

"Working the magic, Claduia working the magic," Armand said happily
as the blood swam around him.

"Madeleine, non."

"Madeleine, oui. You wanted to walk out of here on your fine adult
legs," Armand cursed, "You sold lives to the devil," he taunted her.
Tearing at her clothes, leaving her naked, thrusting his mouth on
hers he savagely kissed her, then bit her hard on the neck. Pulling
away her blood running down his mouth, he said, " Listen to me. I
sympathize with your fears. I'm so tired of not changing myself. I'm
more than happy to cause changes in you. I can keep my promise to
Louis, if you walk out of here with an adult body. There will be no
need to kill you. Little girls are not allowed to live Clauida," he
purred, stripping himself naked, "I promised to make a woman out of
you. Touch me here."

Claudia couldn't believe this was the same kind boy who escorted her
to operas, to the theatre, who bought her little presents. Caressing
his hardness between his legs, Claudia bit back her wails. All she
wanted was to convince the blood soaked vampire not to kill her.

Hiking up her dress, he put himself on top of her. She felt impaled
on top of his cock. Madeline's blind claws scratching her face.

"Why!" she whispered, terrified as he drew the knife across her neck.
"First tell me why! Why!"

"You wanted to be made into a woman. Now your a woman," Armand said
in a controlled voice, "I kept you my promise."

She put her hands to her throat, staring at the blood, then her hand
went to the wetness seeping out between her legs. "Oh God," she
whispered.

"Grown women bleed down there. Didn't your father not tell you abut
this? You are ignorant are you not?"

"I just thought it would never happen to me. Please, leave me alone!"
she said hysterically. He made another slice in her throat.

"This may work," Armand said with deadly seriousness, holding aloft
her head. "Who knows what your blood is capable of? Cut of a limb and
it will grow back, or it can be reattached. If this works Claudia, if
the veins connect, the arteries connect too, and if it works, I will
let you walk out of here. Your head will grow to accommodate your
body."

Sewing on the head to Madeleine's body, he commanded, "Leave me then
to my new life with Louis."

The head fell off rolling to the floor, Angrily, he pulled back a
sheet from another rogue vampire on the floor. Several throats were
cut for the operations he performed.

"Drink, damn you drink, "he snarled, letting his blood fall in drops
on her head sewn to a beautiful vampire's body.

Claudia gibbered and roared out her desires for his blood, but drink
she could not do, blood already was gushing out of her mouth, down to
her full stolen breasts.

"You cannot live like this can you?" Armand said. Unsewing Claudia's
head from the young female vampire's body., he sewed it back on to
Claudia's body. Drenching her with all the blood from all the bodies
in the room, including his own blood till her head did pay heed to
the stitches to stay on. It was fully attached.

"Attach Madeline's, too," Claudia begged.

"Why? I'm going to kill her anyway. She's a weak rogue. All of them,"
Armand's mind set fire to one of the trembling bodies. The rogue
vampire's body became a ball of fire before Claudia's terrorized
eyes. "Listen to me Claudia. I promised Louis I wouldn't kill you.
And I mean to keep my promise. Run away from here. Never come back."

"You're killing all these poor creatures, Madeleine too, just to keep
a promise to Louis? I will be be hunted down if I leave here. Outcast
alone." Claduia pleaded. All the headless bodies were breathing with
silent moans. Heads rolled aimlessly about. All of a sudden Claudia
felt something which she had never felt before, she felt pity. Non,"
I will die with them. I am one of them. They died because like me
they are outcasts. They are my sisters. I will not desert them,
through only one," she ran to Madeelieine's body on the bed, "Only
one loved me. I will not leave her. She's like a mother to me. I will
not be separated from my mother for a second time. She needs me."

"Then I have kept my promise to Louis. This is a suicide. You killed
yourself, " Armand said relieved.

Reattaching Madeline's head back to her body, the two of them held
each other as Armand dragged the women's bodies out into the
courtyard. They could hear heads scream as he set them all on fire.
Madeline begged Claudia to flee, but she refused.

Pulling them both roughly out into the courtyard, Armand locked the
door behind him. They stood there with all the ashes of these who had
been cremated before them.

Madeline and Claduia heard the shutting of numerous coffin lids just
before dawn.

The evening sky was turning gray. Tints of lavender shot through the
darkness than indigo.

"I did it for love," Claudia wept on Madeleine's breast, "I did it
for my freedom. I love you Louis, father. I love you, Lestat, father.
Forgive me. Forgive me Jean. Mother, Madeleine forgive me.

Christmas, it's Christmas, she thought, and Lestat he has brought
home a tree. And Louis he is decorating it with blown glass
decorations. I love the blue one's the best. Lestat is lighting the
candles on the tree. Louis is coming in the house with my gown, it's
Mardi Gra. We are so excited. Lestat is dressed as a harlequin; Louis
refuses to dress up. He's wearing but a half mask. And he's wearing
that only because I urged him to. Oh, my father is rolling his eyes
at my other father's disagreeable refusal to wear a costume. It's my
birthday. Lestat is saying, ta da! He bought me a ballerina doll. and
I think her pink dress is as glittery as pink sugar. My finches are
singing. I took off the cover I put on their cage so they will sleep
during the day, so they will be awake at night. Louis is reminding me
to feed them, as if I would forget! Lestat and I are hunting. He
holds down a woman, and I'm killing her. I'm going to die now too. He
didn't know. Lestat He thought I would stay a child forever. He
wanted me to be happy forever. I couldn't. Father, why couldn't I? I
just couldn't. We vampires, we are like old people no matter how
young we look. We have so many memories.

The sun loomed into the courtyard, Claudia hummed Stephen's song,
hoping it would bring her closer to Lestat The music died on her lips
screaming she became a blast of fire, words of childish prayers she
suddenly remembered danced on her lips along with the dance of the
flames.

Ghosts of her victims arose from the flames, talking to her, begging
her for a reason why they had to die too early. The ghosts of
children hop scotched in the flames. Some jumped ropes, some threw
balls, all sang songs. Why did we die was being asked less and less.
They all knew why, the ghosts, knew why. People died, and then went
on. Out of the din of purgatory, she heard a pure voice.

"Claudia," Jean said, "I thought I would have to wait for you
forever."

"Jean, you're not dead," she cried, dancing in the light of silver,
"Its wonderful here," she cried dancing above a galaxy.

She held her breath, then she realized she had no breath to hold.
There sitting under a laurel tree was a woman in eighteenth century
dress along with Madeleine. A child was playing with Omphale. They
are waved to her. The woman with Madeline started to come towards
her.

"Mother," Claudia whispered I came back for you."

"So you did," Jean cried catching up her in his arm, "Purgatory is
over. He said mischievously, "They had some issues with me about
stealing. His copper hair was shining, "Flowers for a little girl?
Non, not hardly," he pulled out of his sleeve flowers made of stars.
"Flowers for Miss Claudia."

Her mother gave her a kiss, then she stood back, smiling at Jean with
clever understanding in her eyes. All the ghosts' visual bodies
dissolved so that Claudia was no longer a little girl. They were all
but disembodied spirits. Jean and Claudia, two souls, pressed close
together, and they finally kissed.

-- FIN --