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el it was true, what he said I could feel again that ecstasy of being pressed to her, her little heart going and going ‘She’s too strong for ive up,’ I said to hi?’ he smiled He drew me close to him ‘Take her, Louis, I know you want her’ And I did I drew close to the bed now and just watched her Her chest barely led in her long, gold hair I couldn’t bear it, looking at her, wanting her not to die and wanting her; and the more I looked at her, theunder her back and pulling her up toher soft neck Soft, soft, that’s what she was, so soft I tried to tell myself it was best for her to die — as to becohts I wanted her! And so I took her incheek onin spite of sickness and death She moaned now, stirred in her sleep, and that was more than I could bear I’d kill her before I’d let her wake and know it I went into her throat and heard Lestat saying to ely, ‘Just a little tear It’s just a little throat’ And I obeyed him

“I won’t tell you again what it was like, except that it caughtalways does, onlyher dry; that heart pounding again that would not sloould not give up And suddenly, as I went on and on, the instinctual part ofof the heart which would mean death, Lestat wrenched me from her ‘But she’s not dead,’ I whispered But it was over The furniture of the roo at her, too weak to ainst the headboard of the bed,down on the velvet spread Lestat was snatching her up, talking to her, saying a name ‘Claudia, Claudia, listen toher now out of the bedroom into the parlor, and his voice was so soft I barely heard hiet well’ And then, in the pause that followed, I ca, that he had cut his wrist and given it to her and she was drinking ‘That’s it dear; et well’

“ ‘Da eyes He sat on the settee with her locked to his wrist I saw her white hand clutching at his sleeve, and I could see his chest heaving for breath and his face contorted the way I’d never seen it He let out a o on; and when I ain, as if to say, ‘I’ll kill you!’

“ ‘But why, Lestat?’ I whispered to hio With her fingers locked around his fingers and ar out of her ‘Stop, stop!’ he said to her He was clearly in pain He pulled back from her and held her shoulders with both hands She tried desperately to reach his wrist with her teeth, but she couldn’t; and then she looked at him with the most innocent astonishment He stood back, his hand out lest she move Then he clapped a handkerchief on his wrist and backed away from her, toward the bell rope He pulled it sharply, his eyes still fixed on her

“ ‘What have you done, Lestat?’ I asked him ‘What have you done?’ I stared at her She sat con of pallor or weakness in her, her legs stretched out straight on the daown around her s at Lestat ‘Not ain Do you understand? But I’ll show you what to do!’ When I tried to , he shook ave me such a bloith his ar now I knehat he meant to do Once more I tried to reach out for him but he spun so fast I didn’t even see him hit me When I did see hi the door ‘Yes, co slave boy And then, shutting the door, he took him from behind, so that the boy never knehat happened And even as he knelt over the body drinking, he beckoned for the child, who slid from the couch and went down on her knees and took the wrist offered her, quickly pushing back the cuff of the shirt She gnawed first as if she meant to devour his flesh, and then Lestat showed her what to do He sat back and let her have the rest, his eye on the boy’s chest, so that when the ti… You ain, sick to death Do you understand?’ But she’d had enough and she sat next to his stretched out on the floor The boy died in seconds I felt weary and sickened, as if the night had lasted a thousand years I sat there watching the near hih his indifferent eyes remained fixed on the corpse Then he looked up at me

“ ‘Where is Mamma?’ asked the child softly She had a voice equal to her physical beauty; clear like a little silver bell It was sensual She was sensual Her eyes were as wide and clear as Babette’s You understand that I was barely aware of what all this hast Now Lestat stood up and scooped her frohter,’ he said ‘You’re going to live with us now’ He beamed at her, but his eyes were cold, as if it were all a horrible joke; then he looked at me, and his face had conviction He pushed her towards ain how soft she was, how plump her skin was, like the skin of ware lu curiosity ‘This is Louis, and I a down beside her She looked about and said that it was a pretty room, very pretty, but she wanted her h her hair, holding the locks so as not to pull with the co like satin She was the loith the cold fire of a vampire Her eyes were a woman’s eyes, I could see it already She would become white and spare like us but not lose her shape I understood nohat Lestat had said about death, what he meant I touched her neck where the two red puncture wounds were bleeding just a little I took Lestat’s handkerchief from the floor and touched it to her neck ‘Your mamma’s left you with us She wants you to be happy,’ he was saying with that same immeasurable confidence ‘She knoe can make you very happy’

“ ‘I want so to the corpse on the floor

“ ‘No, not tonight; toht,’ said Lestat And he went to take the lady out of his coffin The child slid offas Lestat put the two ladies and the slave boy into the bed He brought the covers up to their chin ‘Are they sick?’ asked the child

“ ‘Yes, Claudia,’ he said ‘They’re sick and they’re dead You see, they die e drink froain We stood there with her between us I was esture: She was not a child any longer, she was a va to leave us,’ said Lestat, his eyes o away But now he’s not Because he wants to stay and take care of you and , are you, Louis?’

“ ‘You bastard!’ I whispered to him ‘You fiend!’

“ ‘Such language in front of your daughter,’ he said

“ ‘I’hter,’ she said with the silvery voice ‘I’hter’

“ ‘No, dear, not anylanced at the , and then he shut the bedroom door behind us and turned the key in the lock ‘You’re our daughter, Louis’s daughter and hter, do you see? Noho at me, he said, ‘Perhaps you should sleep with Louis After all, when I’m tired… I’m not so kind’”

The Va “A child valanced up suddenly as though startled, though his body lared at the tape recorder as if it were so monstrous

The boy saw that the tape was almost out Quickly, he opened his brief case and drew out a new cassette, clu it into place He looked at the vampire as he pressed the record button The vampire’s face looked weary, drawn, his cheekbones reen eyes enorun at dark, which had coht, and noas just before ten phtened and so on?”