“Still think I’m not a monster?”
“This sounds good,” she murmured, finding a page marked “Cassoulet,” and since she had the majority of ingredients on her anyway, she set to work chopping and cooking and washing and then finally pouring two glasses of red wine. Just as the meal was finished, there was a knock on the front door. “It’s open!” she called, over her shoulder.
“Is that an invitation to come in?” came Lestat’s voice.
“Yes, you can come in!” Tiana laughed, and as he came into the kitchen, she looked up at him. “Do you always have to be invited in?”
“Yes.”
“What would happen if you tried to enter without permission?”
“I have no idea, and I’ve no desire to find out.”
“Fair enough,” Tiana laughed.
“You’re cheerful today,” Lestat commented, watching her.
“Yeah, well,” Tiana shrugged. “Hey, are you hungry? I made cassoulet.”
“I thought it smelt familiar,” he replied, stepping up to take the glass she offered him.
Dinner over, they both relaxed on the sofa with their wine. “Tiana,” said Lestat, presently, “why do I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me?”
Tiana glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been surprisingly cheerful all evening, like you’re trying to hide something; probably the fact that you had an argument with your friends because they tried to warn you away from me.”
“Stop reading my thoughts!”
“Sorry, force of habit.”
Tiana sighed. “They just don’t understand.”
“I don’t blame them for thinking I’m a monster,” Lestat replied, casually leaning back against the sofa cushions.
“You’re not a monster,” Tiana chided, putting her glass on the table.
“Tiana, I love you but you’re still so naive to the ways of vampires.”
She glanced at him, coyly. “What? I don’t think you are a monster, Lestat. You’re just different.”
“Different?” Lestat smirked as he replaced his glass on the table. “There’s one word for vampirism I’ve never heard before.”
“Oh, come on,” sighed Tiana. “Stop trying to put me off being with you!”
“No.” Lestat glanced at her. “Your friends are right.”
“No, they’re not!” Tiana insisted.
Lestat smiled. “Ok.” He held out his arms to her. “Come here.”
Bewildered, Tiana hugged him and she immediately felt the air rush past them as they flew. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” Lestat replied.
Tiana closed her eyes, blocking out everything but him, and then her feet touched solid ground and she opened her eyes to see that they were standing just outside The Lamppost. The place was almost completely deserted, she noticed, except for a bent, wizened old man begging on the street corner. “What are we-?” she began but Lestat pressed a finger to her lips to silence her, and then looked around, seemingly looking for someone. Presently he seemed to find what he was looking for.
“Wait right here and don’t make a sound,” he advised.
Tiana followed his gaze over to the old man. He was clearly on his last legs, she noticed. Catlike, Lestat made his way across the street, and then, everything happened so quickly. The man didn’t yell out, just made a sort of dull groan as Lestat sank his fangs into his neck. It was like watching a spider feed on a trapped fly. Tiana, feeling uneasy, felt herself slip to the floor and she covered her face with her hands, only shooting fleeting glances in the directions of the figures, prey and predator, and then feeling her stomach churn in terror and dismay.
Then, almost as quickly as it had started, it was all over. The old man lay, unmoving, peaceful, almost as if sleeping, on the pavement. Lestat was at her side again. He offered her a hand. Tiana took it and got unsteadily to her feet, still feeling sick to her stomach. She looked up at him and saw that his mouth was still stained with fresh blood. Had it been anything else, she might have wiped it off for him.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” she whispered.
“Still think I’m not a monster?”
Tiana brushed past him and ran for it, putting as much distance between her and that dreadful place as possible. She didn’t look back once.
“Well done,” smirked a clipped voice. Lestat didn’t turn to greet Marius. “Now you’ve scared her off for certain.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Lestat replied, with the hint of a smirk. “And don’t go thinking that was my intention either.”
Tiana had no idea where she was running too. Yes, she did. Her feet led her quickly and determinedly in the direction of Prince Adam’s castle.
“All I’m saying is that you can’t get married without a hunky best man for the bridesmaid to flirt with!” Meg laughed. “It’s not fair on me!”
The three of them; Meg, Belle and Adam were sat around the fire; Meg on the footstool and Belle and Adam on the couch, cuddled up together. The conversation had initially been about Tiana and Lestat but then somehow it had turned to the subject of Belle and Adam’s wedding.
“Relax,” smiled Adam, nuzzling Belle’s hair. “I’m sure you’ll find Hercules very much your type.”
“Mm, I hope so. I mean, there’s you two and Tiana...with a vampire; I don’t want to be a wallflower.”
The knocking on the door startled them. “I’ll get it,” Belle said, quickly getting to her feet.
Tiana threw a glance over her shoulder, but no one was following her. Belle opened the door and stared at her in surprise. “Tiana! What’s wrong?”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
The second she was safely inside, Tiana turned to her friend. “I’m sorry; I’m so sorry for what I said to you guys today, but can I please, please spend the night here?”
“Of course.” Belle hugged her. “Tia, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know where to begin,” Tiana replied, thickly, as if about to cry, but no tears came. She looked so shaken, Belle noticed.
“Tiana?” Meg came into the corridor, followed by Adam. “Hey, what’s up, honey?” She joined the hug too.
“I think we need some girl time,” Belle said, glancing at Adam.
He smiled and held up his hands in surrender. “Not a problem. I’ll leave you ladies to it.” He gave Belle a kiss and then left the corridor.
“Come sit down,” Belle said, ushering her inside the sitting room.
“Oh, thanks, Belle, but I feel like standing.” Tiana leaned against one of the marble pillars. “God, I just feel so...I don’t know.”
“You look terrible,” Meg observed, without malice, and she poured a glass of brandy for her friend. “Here, drink this, you’ll feel better.”
“What is it?” Belle persisted, and then, taking her chances “Lestat?”
Tiana nodded, dully. “I just saw him...feed...on someone. I don’t know if he killed him; I don’t think he did, but it was ghastly...I felt giddy just watching...”
“Tia, it’s ok,” Belle said, comfortingly placing a hand on her shoulder. “Just as long as you’re safe.”
“I’m sorry we fell out,” Tiana said, looking up at them. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me; you guys are the best friends in the world.”
“Well, we shouldn’t have said the things we said, either,” Belle said, in a forgiving tone. “At least, I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry, Tiana.”
“Hey, we girls have got to stick together, remember?” Meg said, putting an arm around Tiana for a hug.
“Are you sure Adam won’t mind me spending the night here?”
“No, of course he won’t.”
“In that case, I might stay too,” Meg put in.
Belle smiled. “Well, we have plenty of room to spare and you’re always welcome. Now, Tiana, tell us everything.”
“Well, I think he was just trying to prove his point,” Tiana said, finally allowing Meg to guide her into a seat. “That being in love with a vampire is dangerous, even a vampire like Lestat.”
“Whoa, whoa!” Meg held up her hand. “You’re in love with him?”
“Yeah. I can’t help it.”
Belle and Meg exchanged a glance. “Does he love you?”
“Yes.”
Meg swallowed. “So...do you think he might...turn you into a vampire...too?”
“He says he won’t; that’s the point he’s trying to make. He says vampires are monsters, and maybe he’s right, but I want to be with him so badly, I’d do anything!”
Belle and Meg exchanged another glance. Most people, when they said something like that, didn’t mean it literally, but they knew Tiana only too well to know when she had her heart set on something.
“Tia, it’s ok.”
