Page 19 (1/2)

“Claudia,with disaster, her equani to me as she read her vampire books and asked Lestat questions She re the saain in different ways and carefully considering what little inforht let escape in spite of himself ‘What va up froht ‘Why do you never talk about him?’ she went on, as if his fierce objections were thin air She seemed immune to his irritation

“ ‘You’re greedy, both of you!’ he said the next night as he paced back and forth in the dark of the center of the rooeful eye on Claudia, as fitted into her corner, in the circle of her candle flah for you! No, you would look the Gift Horse of God in the mouth! I could offer it to any man out there in the street and he would jump for it…’

“ ‘Did you ju… ‘but you, you would know the reason for it Do you want to end it? I can give you death ile fla his shadow across me It made a halo around his blond hair and left his face, except for the glea cheekbone, dark ‘Do you want death?’

“ ‘Consciousness is not death,’ she whispered

“ ‘Answer me! Do you want death!’

“ ‘And you give all these things They proceed fro him

“ ‘I have,’ he said ‘I do’

“ ‘You know nothing,’ she said to hihtest noise froht carry her words away, so that I found ainst ainst the chair ‘And suppose the va, and the va, and the vaoes back and back, nothing proceeding fro! And we e’

“ ‘Yes!’ he cried out suddenly, his hands out, his voice tinged with soer

“He was silent She was silent He turned, slowly, as if I’dbehind him It reainst theht themselves to be utterly alone… that asp He was looking atAnd then I sensed it He was afraid Lestat afraid

“And she was staring at hiht

“ ‘You infected her with this…’ he whispered

“He struck a match noith a sharp crackle and lit the mantel candles, lifted the sht, until Claudia’s small flame took on a solidity and he stood with his back to the ht as if they restored so out,’ he said

“She rose the instant he had reached the street, and suddenly she stopped in the center of the rooht up into small fists, her eyes squeezed shut for ato the rooesture; the room seemed to shimmer with Lestat’s fear, echo with his last response It demanded her attention I must have made some involuntaryat the ar her hand flat uponfor hours ‘Come out with me’

“ ‘You were right He knows nothing There is nothing he can tell us,’ I said to her