Alice, the little girl vampire who had been alive since the 1590s, blinked in disbelief at her creator.
“Lestat’s in love?”
“It would seem so,” replied Marius.
“But that’s impossible! Lestat NEVER falls in love! Well, never seriously!”
“He’s serious now,” Marius replied. “He’s known her for almost two weeks and he hasn’t bitten her yet. más to the point, apparently, he’s refusing to turn her.”
Alice stared at him. “That is serious!”
“I know,” Marius nodded. “Seriously dangerous.”
Alice laughed. “Marius, are tu getting jealous?”
Marius scowled at her. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, what are we going to do?”
“Nothing, for now. He may yet change his mind and turn her.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll see...”
Miles and miles away, unaware that her relationship with Lestat was being discussed por fellow vampires, Tiana made herself a cup of strong coffee. Lestat was leaning against the cocina table, watching her. Presently, he dicho “What’s on your mind?”
Tiana sensed that he was lectura her thoughts again. Lestat needs to keep his mind lectura powers to himself, she thought in response.
“Alright, I get the message; but just because I read your mind, that doesn’t mean tu should stop talking.”
Tiana smiled. “I was just trying to figure out how to get the girls to accept you.”
“Well, considering that they’re just as scared of me as any normal human, I doubt that’s possible,” Lestat replied, drily.
Tiana glanced up at him. “Hey, if I can see past your being a vampire, they should!” She paused, thinking hard. “I know; I’ll invite them to cena and then they can see you’re not a monster.”
“You think that’ll work?” Lestat asked, taking the cup she offered him.
“Of course. Just be yourself.”
Lestat laughed. “Right, I’ll go get in some humans and drug them on absinthe before I feed on them and break their necks.”
Tiana slapped him on the arm. “Don’t be coarse! tu know what I mean! Just be the person tu are when you’re with me.”
“Fine.”
“Didn’t that slap hurt you?”
“No.”
“Really? I hit tu pretty hard, sorry.”
“Tiana, tu didn’t hurt me. vampiros have pretty thick skin; literally.”
“So, you’ll come to cena tonight and let my friends meet you?”
“Ok.”
She relaxed. “Good, because I can’t take them trying to warn tu away from me another minuto longer.”
Lestat pulled her close to him with his free arm. “Well, I promise tu I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
Tiana wrapped her arms around him. She was getting used to his lack of heartbeat and the fact that he always pressed his face close into her hair and inhaled her scent whenever he held her. “Lestat?”
“Mm?”
“I amor you.”
Lestat smiled and kissed the parte superior, arriba of her head. “I amor tu too, Tiana.”
“Well, do me a favour.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t mostrar up covered in blood; that’ll freak them out.”
Lestat laughed. “Tiana, tu have my word as a vampire.”
“Let me get this straight,” dicho Meg later that día as Tiana stood, glancing around the bar in case Faciliar suddenly popped up out of nowhere, with the bar phone pressed to her ear. “You want me and Belle...”
“And Adam.”
“And Adam to come over to yours for dinner...with a vampire?”
“With Lestat.”
“He’s a vampire!”
“Oh, Meg, shut up!” sighed Tiana. “I want tu guys to get to know him; you’ll see he’s not a bloodsucking monster like tu think he is.”
“Well...I don’t know...”
“Come on, Meg, please. He won’t hurt you, he’s not like that.”
“Hey, tu dicho the other night that he sucked a guy’s blood in front of you!”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t like it was someone I knew and, well, the guy didn’t look very well, so...”
“So that makes it ok?”
“Look, Lestat’s not going to do that with any of you. If you’d just get to know him, you’d see. He’s charming and sensitive and, well, I think tu guys could like him.”
“Ok, well, I guess I can give him a chance if it means that much to you,” Meg said, heavily.
“That’s all I ask, Meg.”
“Ok, so what time do tu want us to be there?”
“Eight o’clock. I’m experimenting with beurre blanc.”
“With what?”
“Buerre blanc; it’s this mantequilla and white wine and vinegar sauce tu pour over fish. I found it in a book called Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
“Well, do tu want me to bring anything? Wine?”
“Oh, red, if tu could.”
“Ok, well, see tu there.”
“Bye, and Meg?”
“Yeah.”
Tiana smiled. “Thanks.”
“Whatever,” Meg replied, which was her signature response to someone thanking her for something. “See tu there.”
Tiana got back to work, satisfied in the knowledge that at least her friends were willing to try for her sake. It was a slow day, so when she got back to her house, she wasn’t too exhausted. She quickly set about making the dinner, and it tasted pretty good, even if she did say so herself.
There was a knock on the door. “Come in!” Tiana called.
It was Lestat. Tiana ran to him and hugged him. “Great! I’m so glad you’re here first!”
“Why?” Lestat offered her a teasing smile. “Did tu think they’d be shocked por my dramatic entrance?”
“No, because someone needs to set the mesa, tabla fast!” Tiana replied, pressing the silverware on him.
Lestat laughed, and then before she even had time to blink, the mesa, tabla was set. “Done.”
“Good, because that sounds like Meg’s car,” Tiana replied, removing her apron. She took a deep breath and then relaxed.”Ok. This is it.”
She went to answer the door. “Wine as promised,” smiled Meg, handing her the bottle. “French, and it wasn’t cheap.”
Tiana smiled as she took it. “Thanks, Meg. Hey, guys,” she added as Adam and Belle came up behind her.
“Don’t have too much of that,” Belle advised Meg. “You’re the driver, remember?”
“Hey, I dicho I was going to stop drinking so much, and I stand por that promise.”
“You dicho you’d stop drinking altogether.”
“Please, we all know that’s never going to happen!” Meg scoffed, stepping into the house. “Oh, hi,” she added.
Lestat, leaning against the cocina doorframe, smiled, pleasantly; a smile that Tiana was sure she fell más in amor with every day. “Hi. I’m guessing you’re...Meg?”
“Yeah, and tu must be Lestat.” To Tiana’s surprise, Meg smiled, politely and held out her hand. “Tia’s told us so much about you.”
“Oh, well, in that case, I’m sorry,” Lestat replied, shaking her hand.
Meg laughed. “Oh, no, she says good things!”
Tiana smiled. “And this is Belle, and her fiancé Adam.”
“Pleased to meet you,” dicho Adam, also shaking hands.
“Hi,” smiled Belle.
“Well, dinner’s ready, so I hope everyone’s hungry,” Tiana smiled, leading the way into the kitchen.
“Starving,” replied Meg, with a stretch.
“Here,” dicho Lestat, taking the bottle from Tiana. “I’ll open it.”
Well, thought Belle to herself, and she had a feeling that Meg and Adam were thinking the same thing, for a vampire, he’s pretty polite and charming. And, as cena wore on, Tiana knew that Lestat was winning them over. When Adam asked about his family history, Tiana started to worry, but Lestat simply told the same story he had told Tiana on their first date, and left out anything gory o grim. Then, to her surprise, Belle asked outright about vampirism.
“What do tu want to know?” Lestat asked.
“Well, everything. What’s it like?”
Tiana promptly dropped her fork. Embarrassed, she retrieved it.
“Honestly?” Lestat smiled. “It’s a little like being human; sometimes it’s wonderful, others it’s a nightmare.”
“Why?”
“Because drinking blood is hardly a picnic. Because living though eternity can get pretty lonely. Because, technically, humans shouldn’t know your secret, unless they’re about to be turned too. And because it makes having a relationship with a human hard,” Lestat replied, glancing at Tiana. “Having to constantly control yourself; trying to remember what it’s like to be human after so many years; most of all,” he smiled, “being in amor with someone tu don’t want to suffer the same fate as tu but who stubbornly insists it’s what they want.”
Meg laughed. “That’s our Tiana!”
Adam frowned. “Wait, tu say that tu need to keep the fact you’re a vampire secret from humans, unless they’re about to be turned. But you’ve told us.”
Lestat smiled. “Between tu and me, I’ve always been one for bending the rules. But I’d rather tu didn’t spill the beans to anyone who might be a potential vampire hunter.”
Feeling guilty, remembering what his mother had once written about this particular vampire, Adam made a quick decision. “Well, your secret’s seguro with us.”
“I appreciate that.”
Tiana relaxed. “Who’s for desert? I made trifle.”
“Did tu remember the mince?” Belle teased.
Meg blushed. “That was not my fault! Someone stuck those two pages of that magazine together!”
“She made half a trifle, half a shepherd’s pie,” Belle explained to Lestat.
Lestat laughed. “Well, I suppose that’s one way of making two courses at the same time!”
Everyone else laughed, and Tiana smiled to herself as they continued their meal quite companionably together. This was just what she’d hoped for. Lestat really had won them over and they had accepted him, vampire o not. por the end of the night, she had forgotten that she had ever been worried about this.
“Well, see tu tomorrow,” Meg said, giving Tiana a hug. “I was wrong,” she muttered in her ear. “He is pretty charming.”
“Not a monster?” Tiana whispered back.
“Not from where I was sitting.”
“See you,” Belle said, hugging her friend. “Shopping, remember?”
“Of course,” Tiana grinned, hugging her friend. “Thanks for this, Belle,” she whispered to her.
“Sorry I ever doubted you,” Belle whispered back, giving her a squeeze.
“Take care,” Adam said, giving Tiana a hug too. “It was nice meeting you,” he added to Lestat.
“Likewise,” Lestat replied, nodding.
“See tu guys,” Tiana said, waving them off.
“I’d better leave now too,” Lestat told her.
Tiana looked up at him. “Do tu have to?”
“I don’t want your friends getting the wrong idea,” he replied, pulling her to him and besar her. “Besides, I need to have words with Marius, remember? I’ll see tu tomorrow.”
“You will,” Tiana smiled.
tu definitely will, she thought.
“Lestat’s in love?”
“It would seem so,” replied Marius.
“But that’s impossible! Lestat NEVER falls in love! Well, never seriously!”
“He’s serious now,” Marius replied. “He’s known her for almost two weeks and he hasn’t bitten her yet. más to the point, apparently, he’s refusing to turn her.”
Alice stared at him. “That is serious!”
“I know,” Marius nodded. “Seriously dangerous.”
Alice laughed. “Marius, are tu getting jealous?”
Marius scowled at her. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, what are we going to do?”
“Nothing, for now. He may yet change his mind and turn her.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll see...”
Miles and miles away, unaware that her relationship with Lestat was being discussed por fellow vampires, Tiana made herself a cup of strong coffee. Lestat was leaning against the cocina table, watching her. Presently, he dicho “What’s on your mind?”
Tiana sensed that he was lectura her thoughts again. Lestat needs to keep his mind lectura powers to himself, she thought in response.
“Alright, I get the message; but just because I read your mind, that doesn’t mean tu should stop talking.”
Tiana smiled. “I was just trying to figure out how to get the girls to accept you.”
“Well, considering that they’re just as scared of me as any normal human, I doubt that’s possible,” Lestat replied, drily.
Tiana glanced up at him. “Hey, if I can see past your being a vampire, they should!” She paused, thinking hard. “I know; I’ll invite them to cena and then they can see you’re not a monster.”
“You think that’ll work?” Lestat asked, taking the cup she offered him.
“Of course. Just be yourself.”
Lestat laughed. “Right, I’ll go get in some humans and drug them on absinthe before I feed on them and break their necks.”
Tiana slapped him on the arm. “Don’t be coarse! tu know what I mean! Just be the person tu are when you’re with me.”
“Fine.”
“Didn’t that slap hurt you?”
“No.”
“Really? I hit tu pretty hard, sorry.”
“Tiana, tu didn’t hurt me. vampiros have pretty thick skin; literally.”
“So, you’ll come to cena tonight and let my friends meet you?”
“Ok.”
She relaxed. “Good, because I can’t take them trying to warn tu away from me another minuto longer.”
Lestat pulled her close to him with his free arm. “Well, I promise tu I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
Tiana wrapped her arms around him. She was getting used to his lack of heartbeat and the fact that he always pressed his face close into her hair and inhaled her scent whenever he held her. “Lestat?”
“Mm?”
“I amor you.”
Lestat smiled and kissed the parte superior, arriba of her head. “I amor tu too, Tiana.”
“Well, do me a favour.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t mostrar up covered in blood; that’ll freak them out.”
Lestat laughed. “Tiana, tu have my word as a vampire.”
“Let me get this straight,” dicho Meg later that día as Tiana stood, glancing around the bar in case Faciliar suddenly popped up out of nowhere, with the bar phone pressed to her ear. “You want me and Belle...”
“And Adam.”
“And Adam to come over to yours for dinner...with a vampire?”
“With Lestat.”
“He’s a vampire!”
“Oh, Meg, shut up!” sighed Tiana. “I want tu guys to get to know him; you’ll see he’s not a bloodsucking monster like tu think he is.”
“Well...I don’t know...”
“Come on, Meg, please. He won’t hurt you, he’s not like that.”
“Hey, tu dicho the other night that he sucked a guy’s blood in front of you!”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t like it was someone I knew and, well, the guy didn’t look very well, so...”
“So that makes it ok?”
“Look, Lestat’s not going to do that with any of you. If you’d just get to know him, you’d see. He’s charming and sensitive and, well, I think tu guys could like him.”
“Ok, well, I guess I can give him a chance if it means that much to you,” Meg said, heavily.
“That’s all I ask, Meg.”
“Ok, so what time do tu want us to be there?”
“Eight o’clock. I’m experimenting with beurre blanc.”
“With what?”
“Buerre blanc; it’s this mantequilla and white wine and vinegar sauce tu pour over fish. I found it in a book called Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
“Well, do tu want me to bring anything? Wine?”
“Oh, red, if tu could.”
“Ok, well, see tu there.”
“Bye, and Meg?”
“Yeah.”
Tiana smiled. “Thanks.”
“Whatever,” Meg replied, which was her signature response to someone thanking her for something. “See tu there.”
Tiana got back to work, satisfied in the knowledge that at least her friends were willing to try for her sake. It was a slow day, so when she got back to her house, she wasn’t too exhausted. She quickly set about making the dinner, and it tasted pretty good, even if she did say so herself.
There was a knock on the door. “Come in!” Tiana called.
It was Lestat. Tiana ran to him and hugged him. “Great! I’m so glad you’re here first!”
“Why?” Lestat offered her a teasing smile. “Did tu think they’d be shocked por my dramatic entrance?”
“No, because someone needs to set the mesa, tabla fast!” Tiana replied, pressing the silverware on him.
Lestat laughed, and then before she even had time to blink, the mesa, tabla was set. “Done.”
“Good, because that sounds like Meg’s car,” Tiana replied, removing her apron. She took a deep breath and then relaxed.”Ok. This is it.”
She went to answer the door. “Wine as promised,” smiled Meg, handing her the bottle. “French, and it wasn’t cheap.”
Tiana smiled as she took it. “Thanks, Meg. Hey, guys,” she added as Adam and Belle came up behind her.
“Don’t have too much of that,” Belle advised Meg. “You’re the driver, remember?”
“Hey, I dicho I was going to stop drinking so much, and I stand por that promise.”
“You dicho you’d stop drinking altogether.”
“Please, we all know that’s never going to happen!” Meg scoffed, stepping into the house. “Oh, hi,” she added.
Lestat, leaning against the cocina doorframe, smiled, pleasantly; a smile that Tiana was sure she fell más in amor with every day. “Hi. I’m guessing you’re...Meg?”
“Yeah, and tu must be Lestat.” To Tiana’s surprise, Meg smiled, politely and held out her hand. “Tia’s told us so much about you.”
“Oh, well, in that case, I’m sorry,” Lestat replied, shaking her hand.
Meg laughed. “Oh, no, she says good things!”
Tiana smiled. “And this is Belle, and her fiancé Adam.”
“Pleased to meet you,” dicho Adam, also shaking hands.
“Hi,” smiled Belle.
“Well, dinner’s ready, so I hope everyone’s hungry,” Tiana smiled, leading the way into the kitchen.
“Starving,” replied Meg, with a stretch.
“Here,” dicho Lestat, taking the bottle from Tiana. “I’ll open it.”
Well, thought Belle to herself, and she had a feeling that Meg and Adam were thinking the same thing, for a vampire, he’s pretty polite and charming. And, as cena wore on, Tiana knew that Lestat was winning them over. When Adam asked about his family history, Tiana started to worry, but Lestat simply told the same story he had told Tiana on their first date, and left out anything gory o grim. Then, to her surprise, Belle asked outright about vampirism.
“What do tu want to know?” Lestat asked.
“Well, everything. What’s it like?”
Tiana promptly dropped her fork. Embarrassed, she retrieved it.
“Honestly?” Lestat smiled. “It’s a little like being human; sometimes it’s wonderful, others it’s a nightmare.”
“Why?”
“Because drinking blood is hardly a picnic. Because living though eternity can get pretty lonely. Because, technically, humans shouldn’t know your secret, unless they’re about to be turned too. And because it makes having a relationship with a human hard,” Lestat replied, glancing at Tiana. “Having to constantly control yourself; trying to remember what it’s like to be human after so many years; most of all,” he smiled, “being in amor with someone tu don’t want to suffer the same fate as tu but who stubbornly insists it’s what they want.”
Meg laughed. “That’s our Tiana!”
Adam frowned. “Wait, tu say that tu need to keep the fact you’re a vampire secret from humans, unless they’re about to be turned. But you’ve told us.”
Lestat smiled. “Between tu and me, I’ve always been one for bending the rules. But I’d rather tu didn’t spill the beans to anyone who might be a potential vampire hunter.”
Feeling guilty, remembering what his mother had once written about this particular vampire, Adam made a quick decision. “Well, your secret’s seguro with us.”
“I appreciate that.”
Tiana relaxed. “Who’s for desert? I made trifle.”
“Did tu remember the mince?” Belle teased.
Meg blushed. “That was not my fault! Someone stuck those two pages of that magazine together!”
“She made half a trifle, half a shepherd’s pie,” Belle explained to Lestat.
Lestat laughed. “Well, I suppose that’s one way of making two courses at the same time!”
Everyone else laughed, and Tiana smiled to herself as they continued their meal quite companionably together. This was just what she’d hoped for. Lestat really had won them over and they had accepted him, vampire o not. por the end of the night, she had forgotten that she had ever been worried about this.
“Well, see tu tomorrow,” Meg said, giving Tiana a hug. “I was wrong,” she muttered in her ear. “He is pretty charming.”
“Not a monster?” Tiana whispered back.
“Not from where I was sitting.”
“See you,” Belle said, hugging her friend. “Shopping, remember?”
“Of course,” Tiana grinned, hugging her friend. “Thanks for this, Belle,” she whispered to her.
“Sorry I ever doubted you,” Belle whispered back, giving her a squeeze.
“Take care,” Adam said, giving Tiana a hug too. “It was nice meeting you,” he added to Lestat.
“Likewise,” Lestat replied, nodding.
“See tu guys,” Tiana said, waving them off.
“I’d better leave now too,” Lestat told her.
Tiana looked up at him. “Do tu have to?”
“I don’t want your friends getting the wrong idea,” he replied, pulling her to him and besar her. “Besides, I need to have words with Marius, remember? I’ll see tu tomorrow.”
“You will,” Tiana smiled.
tu definitely will, she thought.