Tiana pelted down the street, trying to remember the directions Lestat had diberikan her from his house to hers. Twice she got lost and had to backtrack but eventually she spotted a familiar looking mansion.

“Lestat!” she exclaimed, throwing herself at the door and hammering on it. “Lestat! Lestat-argh!”

With a half-scream she fell through the door as it opened, but her cry was cut short as Lestat caught her before she could hit the floor. He frowned at her in concern. “Tiana, what is it?”

“John! He..!”

With a cepat, swift kick, Lestat shut the door and helped her to her feet. “What? Tiana, did he hurt you?”

“No, but he wants to hurt you! He’s a vampire hunter!”

Lestat made a soft growl in his throat, looking furious with himself. “I should have known!”

“And he knows! He knows you’re a vampire!”

Lestat smiled, much to her surprise. “He’d be a pretty poor vampire hunter if he didn’t.”

Tiana wrenched herself free of his grip. “How are anda not panicking about this? Aren’t anda scared?”

“Of what?” scoffed Lestat. “He’s just another human.”

Tiana frowned. “Just another human? Like me?”

“No, I didn’t mean that.” Lestat sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’re my world, Tiana, and I’d die before I let anything happen to you. I just meant that humans, when they’re compared with vampires, aren’t very strong, physically. He might be capable of defending himself for a while, but my strength would over power his.”

Tiana had a sinking feeling that she knew what the only way to stop John from killing Lestat atau any of his other vampire friends was. And she didn’t like it. “Lestat, promise me anda won’t kill him. I don’t want anda to.”

“Tiana-”

She gripped the front of his shirt. “Promise me!”

Lestat sighed and ducked his head, watching the way her fingers twisted themselves into the fabric of his shirt. Killing John would be the easiest option and the best solution, but if killing made Tiana turn away from him...no, he couldn’t beruang that. Taking a deep breath, he met her gaze, looking straight into her beautiful brown eyes. “I promise.”

Tiana breathed out in relief and leaned against him, pressing against his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Lestat put his arms around her and inhaled her hair. “I can’t guarantee that the others won’t try, if not succeed in killing him, though.”

“The others?” Tiana repeated into his front.

“Marius and co.”

Tiana looked up at him. “You mean you’re going to rally them together against him?”

“I have to. We vampire have to stand together against hunters and I’m not about to let him hurt you.”

“I’ll be alright-”

“No. He could use anda to get to me.” Lestat laid a hand against her cheek, tenderly, and Tiana closed her eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers. “Tiana, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but whilst you’re with me now, you’re in danger.”

Her eyes flew open. “I’m not leaving you, Lestat, anda can’t make me!”

“Tiana-!”

“No!” She stepped back from him. “And you’re not using vampire hypnosis atau mind control atau whatever to stop me being with you! I won’t let you!”

Her voice was reaching that hysterical pitch again. “Tiana,” Lestat tried again.

“I don’t want to lose you!”

Lestat kissed her and she ceased her ranting. “I’m not going to leave you,” Lestat told her, softly. “Not when it’s taken me over a hundred years to find someone like you.”

Tiana looked into his eyes and knew he meant it. “Well, what then?”

“I was going to say that we need to make John think we’ve broken up. That way he’s less likely to go after you. And, it’s probably best that anda stay with Belle, atau Meg for a while. I don’t want to risk anda being in the same house as him.”

Tiana nodded. It made sense. “I guess I can trust Esme not to trash my house while I’m not there. Belle won’t mind if I stay with her and Adam for a bit.”

Lestat nodded. “Meanwhile I’d better inform Marius that there’s a vampire hunter on the loose in New Orleans. Oh, and get anda something suitable to wear.”

“What?” Then, glancing down at herself, Tiana remembered that, in her panic, she had run out of the house in her dressing gaun and slippers. She laughed. “Thanks, but I doubt anything of yours would fit me!”

“We’ll see,” Lestat replied, with a smile. “Come with me.”

He took her hand, and then, in one cepat, swift jerking motion, they were in another part of the house completely. “Whoa!” Tiana exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe. “Did we just...run? Like...the way anda vampire pindah at hundred miles an hour?”

Lestat laughed. “Faster than that, I think you’ll find, and yes, we did just “run” as anda put it!”

Tiana looked around. They were in what was presumably a bedroom, only in place of a bed, there was...

“This is yours?” Tiana said, reaching out to touch the wood of the coffin.

Lestat smiled. “The only one I have.”

“Is it...comfortable?” Tiana blushed, feeling foolish for even asking.

“As comfortable as a normal bed,” Lestat replied. Once again, Tiana had a vision of him lying back in the coffin, sleeping with his hands behind his head as he had done on her bed, and she stifled a giggle. Lestat pulled open the door of a vast wardrobe and stepped back so that Tiana could look inside.

“Wow!” she whispered, reaching out to touch one of the three velvet dresses that hung there. “Where did anda get these from?”

“They were my mother’s,” Lestat murmured, standing close behind her so that he could smell her hair again, “But I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if anda borrowed one.”

Pulling out a light green one, Tiana held it against herself. It looked like it would fit alright. “Thank you,” she said, meeting his gaze. Lestat smiled at her. Feeling not at all self-conscious anymore, Tina dropped her dressing gaun and slipped into the dress. It was a perfect fit. “Could anda zip me up?” she asked, turning away from him.

He did so, and she smiled, a soft shudder rippling up her spine as he touched her. Turning, she kissed him, passionately, winding her arms around his neck. Lestat kissed her back for a while, and then pulled gently away from her. “Tiana, we don’t have time for this,” he reminded her. “The sooner you’re at Belle’s, away from John, the better I’ll feel.”

Tiana nodded. “Lestat, you’ll be careful, right? I mean, I do want anda coming back in one piece.”

Lestat smiled, mischievously. “I still have to help anda complete your list, remember?” Tiana still looked worried, so he cupped her face and looked deeply into her eyes. “Tiana, I’ll be fine, and I will come back to you, I promise.”

Tiana managed a smile. “You’d better.”

Returning her smile, Lestat kissed her forehead. “We’ll make a vampire of anda yet, Tiana.”

Of course, Belle and Adam were stunned at having their friends turn up on their doorstep, especially diberikan that Belle had just been talking to her only a few moments yang lalu but once the situation was explained to them, they were quick to help. “You can stay here as long as anda need,” Adam told her, before turning to Lestat. “Are anda going to be able to take down a vampire hunter on your own?”

Lestat smiled. “No, but with some help from my fellow vampires. Marius still owes me a favour, after all.”

He leaned down to ciuman Tiana. “Be careful,” she reminded him in a whisper.

“Promise,” he replied, softly, and then he was gone, just like that.

Tiana spent the rest of the hari worrying about him; she just couldn’t settle, even when Belle suggested they all go up to the perpustakaan and she found a copy of her favourite book, Wuthering Heights, and sat oleh the window trying to lose herself in the story again. It didn’t work. She put down her book and sighed. Belle, who was membaca How Beauty Tamed the Beast oleh Eloisa James, with Adam sitting behind her, membaca it over her shoulder, looked over at her. “You ok?”

“I’m trying to be,” Tiana replied, “But...it’s just...Lestat’s out there with a vampire hunter...”

Adam gave Belle a gentle squeeze that told her to go and comfort her friend, and she did so. “Tia, it’ll be alright. He’s a vampire, after all.”

“Yeah, and John’s a vampire hunter. He could kill him.”

“I doubt he’ll be able to take on all of Lestat’s vampire friends at once,” Adam chipped in.

Tiana didn’t bother to correct him about the “friends” bit. “I think I need some air,” she decided, opening the window that led out onto the balcony. Belle shot Adam a glance and he nodded that she should follow. Just then, the doorbell rang and he got to his feet. “I’ll get it.”

“If it’s John, don’t let him in!” Tiana told him, panic rising within her.

But it was only Meg. “Hey, what’s up?” she said, entering the room and going up to Tiana. “I tried to call anda but your sister berkata anda were out.”

Tiana and Belle explained the situation to her. “Oh, jeez!” Meg exclaimed, and then, sensing the need to say something reassuring, “But I’m sure Lestat can take care of himself. He’s a fully grown vamp, after all.”

Tiana nodded. “I know, and what you’re all saying makes sense. It’s just...I’m worried, is all.”

The three of them were very comforting, and Tiana was able to sleep a little when she eventually went to bed, but then she jerked awake, for some reason she couldn’t fathom, and so she lay awake, wondering if Lestat was alright, and whether she ought to be worried about him. He had promised her he would come back to her, but if he was seriously wounded atau even killed, how could he be certain of fulfilling that promise?

But she needn’t have worried, for a sudden tap at her window caused her to sit bolt upright in bed. Then, a smile of knowing crept across her face, and she slid out of tempat tidur and opened the window. “You can come in,” she whispered, and then his mouth was on hers and she melted into his embrace as they tumbled into tempat tidur together, making cinta with a vigorous passion that could only come from knowing that the one anda loved was in danger, and the realisation of just how lonely life was without them...