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The young wo to let him in She had the black plastic video cassette in her hand

"All twelve of thee drowsy brown eyes The band of silver around her wrist caught the light He found it enticing She took thetheht them all over, actually Finished it yesterday afternoon "

"You've served me well," he answered "I thank you " He produced another thick fold of bills

"No big thing," she said She didn't want to take the extra money

You will

She took it with a shrug and put it in her pocket

No big thing He loved these eloquent modern expressions He loved the sudden shift of her luscious breasts as she'd shrugged, and the lithe twist of her hips beneath the coarse deniile An incandescent flower As she opened the door for him, he touched the soft nest of her brown hair Quite unthinkable to feed upon one who has served you; one so innocent He would not do this! Yet he turned her around, his gloved fingers slipping up through her hair to cradle her head:

"The smallest kiss, my precious one "

Her eyes closed; his teeth pierced the artery instantly and his tongue lapped at the blood Only a taste A tiny flash of heat that burnt itself out in his heart within a second Then he drew back, his lips resting against her frail throat He could feel her pulse The craving for the full draught was alo He sy curls, as he looked into her misted eyes

Do not remember

"Good-bye now," she said, s

He stood nored and sullen, gradually died back He looked at the cardboard sheath of the video cassette

"A dozen channels," she had said "I caught thees had already seen Lestat, inevitably, on the large screen positioned before theo, he'd set the satellite dish on the slope above the roof to bring theed the channel each hour For years, they'd stared expressionless as the ies and colors shifted before their lifeless eyes Had there been the slightest flicker when they heard Lestat's voice, or saw their very own i as if in a hymn?

Well, he would soon find out He would play the video cassette for the-anything-besides the ht

"Ah, Marius, you never despair, do you? You are no better than Lestat, with your foolish dreams "