Lestat dreamt of Louis. He did not dream often, but when he did, they were very vivid. Lestat was having one of those dreams. He could see Louis’s deep green eyes looking up at him through long, thick lashes. His hair felt silken between his fingers. His lips were luscious, and when he smiled, there was just a hint of fang behind them.

Lestat shivered. He threaded his fingers through that beautiful hair, and held Louis close to him. The strands of Louis’s hair tickled his belly and made his muscles twitch. Beautiful Louis. Lestat sometimes hated himself for ruining Louis’s life and making him what he was, but in moments like this, it was all worth it.

His hard-on rubbed against Louis’s chest, and the sensation just about drove him wild. He laughed. “Oh, Louis, the things you do to me. Mon Dieu, are you just going to lay there? Do something!”

And he did. Laughing in those rare, tinkling notes, Louis slid sensuously down Lestat’s body. Lestat caught a hint of a grin on Louis’s beautiful features. Louis’s hands stroked his sides gently, his fingertips tracing his muscles delightfully.

Louis flipped his hair over to one side, and met Lestat’s eyes as he licked gently at the crease where Lestat’s thigh met his hip. With pointed tongue, Louis danced patterns into the skin there.

“Ah, my Louis, you are so beautiful!” A scrape of fang, and Lestat arched off the bed. “Yes! Do it, Louis, do it!”

There was a soft moment of pain when Louis’s fangs sank into his thigh slowly, puncturing his skin as though it were the skin of a peach. Then he broke through to the blood pounding beneath, and it was ecstasy.

Lestat roared and came. He could feel his blood pumping faster and faster as his heart raced in his ears. The pressure in his veins seemed unbearable. He felt all his blood screaming toward the broken point, where Louis’s delicate, beautiful mouth was fastened. Louis made such beautiful, wet, sucking sounds as he drank, it inspired Lestat to even greater heights of pleasure.

“Take more, Louis, more!” Lestat’s hands fidgeted in Louis’s hair, stroking it one moment, then pulling it the next. He felt his whole essence draining away into Louis, and a profound sense of loss came over him. His body began to relax and his mouth opened as he panted. He was out of control now; Louis had taken it. He was free-falling, away from the sun without a parachute, sure to plummet and hit the ground, but it was okay, because if Louis had control of him, then he didn’t care what happened.

“I love you, Louis.” He cried softly. The suckling sounds continued for a few moments more, as Louis drank his fill. Lestat felt his pulse slow and drift closer to stasis. “Oh, Louis, come here, my darling. Let me kiss your face, so I can remember that it really is you.”

But Louis did not. He merely stood up, off of the bed, staring down at Lestat. The godly blood had whitened his skin and firmed his muscles. His eyes glinted adamantly. “I don’t think so Lestat. You are not for me, not anymore. You are too weak, now, you see? I would much prefer to be away from you, with someone better and stronger. Older. Someone like Armand, or perhaps Marius. Even Gabrielle. I am not picky.”

Armand stepped out of the shadows, and he and Louis met for a dramatic kiss. Lestat gasped weakly. “You! What are you doing here?! Get out! These are...these are my bedchambers and you...you have no right to be here...” Lestat’s voice faded as he ran out of breath and strength. His vision darkened, and he saw Louis, Armand, and Claudia before him. All were decked out in their finest eighteenth century dress.

Claudia laughed musically. “Why, Lestat, these are not your bedchambers, they are Louis’s! And now Armand’s and mine, as well.” She came over to the bed and whispered into Lestat’s ear. “You’d better get out of here before he gets angry...”

Lestat turned and saw Louis grinning like a shark, ready to swallow him whole...

***

Lestat awoke that evening in a foul mood. He didn’t remember his dream, but he felt a protective need to return to Louis as soon as he could. Business here now tired him; he just wanted to be done and home as soon as he could. He did not trust Armand with his Louis.

He found the vampire he was working with, already awake, in his old-style manor at the edge of the village. “You had better have good news for me, Dana.”

The skinny man looked up from his work, his eyes alighting only briefly on Lestat’s face, before skittering across the room to the windows and doors. It seemed Dana had a penchant for paranoia.

Lestat snarled. He didn’t have time for this. “Tell me something good.”

“W-well,” Dana stammered. “I don’t...I mean, I’m not sure. I’ve been working on bonding the blood cells of the master and the child together, so that we can break the communication barrier, but every time I get close, I end up with this unwanted byproduct that usually ruins the effect. Oftentimes the chemical reaction produces a type of irregular reaction in the blood cells, leading to cancerous growths all over the body, and...”

“That’s wonderful, Dana. However, in all my years, I’ve never taken an interest in science. I don’t understand more than half of what you just said.”

“It will take a while, my lord, for me to perfect the process. And, let me venture to guess that you’re not willing to wait much longer.”

Angrily, Lestat looked away. He knew that they said you couldn’t rush science, but there had to be a way. He simply wouldn’t wait out here in the wilderness for any longer.

As brilliant ideas always do, this one struck him suddenly. His whole face lightened and even broke into a smile. “That’s alright, Dana. Take your time. I have the perfect solution. Pack your things; you’re coming with me to America.”

***

Louis knew when Armand returned home. Though he wasn’t there himself-- he’d stayed away from the scene of the disgrace for the past few nights, he could feel it when Armand entered the flat that they’d called home.

He wondered whether he should return home or not. It would be awkward, undoubtedly. He didn’t want to see or speak to Armand at the moment, but at the same time, he felt an overwhelming need to make his amends. Though he didn’t know what he was apologizing for, there was just a general feeling of guilt and shame that he hadn’t been able to shake since that night, and he could see no other way of ridding himself of it.

He dragged himself out of the dirt. The sun had only set an hour ago; the night was still creamy with leftover light from the sun. Louis shrugged the dirt off of his ratty clothes, and from his hair. If nothing else, he needed to return to shower. Gabrielle might not care about sleeping in filth everyday for years on end, but Louis did. After only a few nights, he was more than ready to give up on the dirty embrace of Mother Earth and go back to sleeping in a coffin.

As he walked into the city, he must have looked quite a sight. There was dirt under his unnaturally glossy nails, and encrusted in his hair and face. He looked like he might have just crawled out of a swamp somewhere, without even bothering to clean.

Though he wasn’t very good at telepathy, he was able to send out a general wave of alert to Armand, to let him know he was coming. Armand probably knew he was on his way already; the other vampire was far more agile in such dealings, but Louis felt this was only proper. It was like ringing the doorbell. Merely polite.

When he finally did reach the house that the three of them--up until recently--had shared, he had a slight twinge of apprehension as he touched the doorknob. When he opened it, he saw Armand lounging comfortably on the couch, reading a book and looking as placid as ever. Looking at him, one would never imagine the turmoil that rushed beneath the surface of his skin.

He looked up with polite brown eyes when Louis entered. He smiled amusedly. “Shower’s down the hall, my Louis.”

Louis looked at him suspiciously, and then walked in the direction of the shower, casting a baleful glance over his shoulder. Something wasn’t right here, but at least he was going to be clean when he and Armand finally had it out.

He washed himself meticulously, making sure to remove the dirt from every crevice of his body in which it had wedged. He took his time getting dressed, as he was in no hurry to finish their fight.

But, in good conscience, there was only so long he could take on a shower, and he finally appeared, back in the living room, clean and defensive.

Armand was still sprawled across the couch, relaxed as could be. Louis felt himself relax a quarter of an inch.

“I know why you were so upset that night,” Armand said, without preamble. He studied his nails as if completely uninterested in the subject.

Louis tensed up again. “And why would that be?” he said coolly. He used all his meager power to shield his thoughts from the older vampire. It would be an unfair advantage if Armand knew what he was thinking when Louis didn’t even know himself.

“It’s because of Lestat. Our little Brat Prince has got your panties in a twist. That’s why you won’t accept me, won’t really give yourself to me.” He stood and sauntered over to where Louis stood, stiff as a board. Armand was supple and feline in his movements, completely at home in his body. “Why, Louis? Why do you love him, and not me, when I could give you so much more? He doesn’t care for you. In his own way, I suppose he does, but that cannot be enough for you. Believe me, I know Lestat’s brand of love. And at it’s best, it only lasts in short bursts of hours at a time.

“Let him go, Louis. I love you. I will take care of you like he can’t. I see your beauty, I see your intelligence and your wit, and I treasure it. And...” He stared pointedly into Louis’s eyes. I can do this. I can know you in a way he never can, in a way he gave up when he selfishly made you what you are.

Louis clenched his jaw and looked down at the carpet. He squeezed his eyes shut. It was always so unsettling to have another vampire speak to him without words. At the same time, it would be so easy to give in. He need not say a word, merely let down his defenses, and Armand would know what he wanted. It was effortless between them. With Lestat it took explanations and fighting and anger to get his points across. Armand simply knew.

The dirty feeling of that night, three days ago, when Louis had broken down and become intimate with Armand, came back. He looked at Armand and realized that he could never feel his equal, and he would never trust him the way he trusted Lestat. He didn’t know Armand. And he had a feeling that he never would. Armand was an enigma, while Lestat was frighteningly simple.

“Armand...” he said. Armand put a finger to his lips.

“I’d rather not,” Louis said. “I prefer it this way. Armand. I-I cannot. I don’t know how to explain it to you other than that I love Lestat, and not you. I am sorry,” he added, almost as an afterthought.

He half-expected Armand to be angry, but instead, the other vampire turned away. “I see. If that is what you think is best...” His tone conveyed that he thought that Louis was unthinkably wrong. It also implied that he didn’t think that Louis’s decision was really a decision at all.

Louis sighed. It seemed that the words ‘no’ simply wouldn’t be enough for Armand. But he did not have the energy tonight to drag this out longer. He hated to fight.

Armand left the house shortly thereafter, leaving Louis to contemplate his thoughts, alone with the silence.

Chapter 5

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