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Lestat stormed into
Armand's luxurious townhouse. Cursing, he spin around in the
main room, calling for Armand. He found the townhouse to be stripped
of all its fine paintings and elegant furnishings. Even Armand's
piano was missing from its setting on the intricate rug which had
weaved into it the mythical scene of a victorious Perseus holding on
to Medusa's decapitated head.
Armand was busying himself in what used to be his bedroom,
packing his satins, laces, perfumes, and silks into a trunk.
Lestat entered. "Louis had made it quite clear to me he doesn't
want my company," he said dryly, a slight twisting of his lips being
the only betrayal of his bitterness.
"I do not want you either," Armand said coldly, carelessly
folding up a cape he often wore to the opera.
"Devil take you. Where you you going?" Lestat blurted out.
"To Pairs. Where else would I go? Eleni wrote me Santiago, an
actor, the two of you have yet to meet. he is trying to usurp the
authority I gave to her. I must return and bring my unruly troupe to
order."
"Do you want me to go to Paris with you?"
"I do not want you any more than your dear Louis wants you.
Probably less so. Why should I want you?" Armand shrugged his boyish
shoulders.
Armand leaned back away from the trunk, his arms folded at his
chest. "Do you want to know why I stayed here in New Orleans as long
as I did?"
"I suppose you enjoyed my company," Lestat said tersely.
"Oui, so I once did. I thought you would come to your senses
about your Louis. Instead I have come to my senses abut you. Do you
want to know why your object never returned your love? Why he
refrains from killing mortals?"
"I know why he refuses to adore me, he found me to be what I
truly am. A cad. A destroyer. A killer. The truth about myself he
can not tolerate. Because of this, he keeps himself from killing
mortals. He does not want to emulate my life style"
"How you make me laugh. Now for all the times you laughed at me
it's my turn to laugh at you," Armand said, grinning wildly, "He has
himself a kept boy. A mortal lover if you will. He can not bring
himself to kill mortals because of the love he has for this boy.
When you and I have been together he has been in the company of this
young. colored, lowly mortal."
"You are lying!" Lestat cried.
"He had fallen in love with the very whore he pimped for his
brother to use. You know him the one at Old Sally's."
"The boy, Jamie? The boy who plays the piano? The boy at the
voodum ceremony, we witnessed. The very boy," Lestat's voice
faltered "Louis protected from harm."
"Oui, that boy. He took to visting Jamie days after you put him
on the Devil's Road. I would have told you, mais I didn't have the
heart to. These things one should find out for themselves. Mais, I
see you are too stupid to realize what your dear Louis has been up
too. I have seen them together. Kissing, Lestat, they were kissing.
Pleasuring each other. This Jamie he takes the passive role of wife
with your Louis."
"You filth, you fiend, you say these lies to torture me!"
"Oui, I do. I want to hurt you. To cause you to weep by my
telling you the ugly truth. Your Louis had been laughing at you the
whole time."
"How can you say these things, mais out of love and desire for
me? You jealous bitch, I let it be known to you from the start I
cared for him more."
Do you doubt me so faithfully still? Think me to be a sure a
liar?' Armand laughed, "Let's go then to the whorehouse where you
and Louis used to play cards."
"The only reason Louis went to Old Sally's was because he was
infatuated with Freniere's mortality. It was like he was looking a a
distorted mirror of himself when he watched Freniere."
"Then with Freniere gone there should be no reason for him to go
to Old Sally's," Armand said with cold logic, "May I take your arm
and escort you there to prove Louis' guilt, or his innocence?"
"What do I care about what he chooses to do? He made it quite
clear we will never be anything to each other," Lestat said,
incapable of hiding the fear in his disdainful voice.
"Oh, you care," Armand laughed, flicking at imaginary piece of
dust off his waistcoat. "Your arm monsieur, or shall we drop the
subject?"
Lestat hesitated, agonizingly torn. Slowly, he raised his arm,
allowing it to be tucked into Armand's.
"Let's us go then," Armand said merrily.
They strolled down the alley ways which were haunted with shadows
and cats. Their boots splashing in the puddles. Finally they were in
front of Old Sally's establishment.
Lestat took a step back, hiding behind a tree, dragging Armand
along with him. Lestat's eyes opened wide in amazement. There in the
doorway was Louis speaking to Jamie.
"Are you sure you are going to be all right here Jamie? No one
has mentioned Freniere's death to you?" Louis said,
"No one," Jamie assured him, "All the rumors I have heard is that
the Spanish boy's relatives were the ones who killed Freniere."
"You should leave here. I hate to abandon you. Let me take care
of you. Enough of your foolish pride which puts you in danger. You
will stay at a hotel tonight, and I will find you a more private
place to live. I will not have you hurt or killed. What if someone
thinks of the night you defended yourself from Freniere's advances?"
"No one had thought about that."
"Yet! The inspector would gladly put the rumors to rest about the
Spanish boy's rich relatives being guilty by putting the blame on
you. I insist you stay at a hotel tonight!"
Jamie hesitated,. The witch, Angelique, the one who he helped in
birthing babies was depending on his help with a woman who was
possibly due to have her children tonight. Angelique felt the new
expectant mother was ripe with twins. "Non, Louis, I will be safe
here. Do not worry about me."
"Then I shall see you tomorrow," Louis said. Louis out of worry
put his hand to Jamie's face, stroking it, "You take care young
man." he smiled, "You're reading is coming along admirably." Louis
surprised himself and Jamie with the parental love which was in his
voice, "I will see you soon."
"He, he," Lestat said stammering, watching Louis go down the
alley. He tried to read Jamie's mind Armand quickly put shields upon
it, just as he did with all his mortal lovers over the years to
protect them and his secrets from other vampires.
"You saw how he touched the boy's face. He fell in love with a
lowly slave he set free over you. You, the great lover Lestat!"
Armand said mockingly.
"I still do not believe it there has to be an explanation."
"None, there is no other explanation except the obvious one. Why
else would he seek the company of a colored boy? Now, let's wreak
out our revenge on this upstart of a mortal moor who has usurped
your rightful place in your fledgling's bed. Let's kill him for
Louis to find. You and I. Then let the two of us go to Paris where
we can find happiness."
"You go to Paris. Go to Pairs immediately. I must talk to the
boy."
"Why? He has been warned about you more than likely. Every word
out of his mouth will be a lie."
"I will know if he is lying. Leave then Armand, Leave if you
will. I want to be no more in your company."
"Then perish of loneliness. Without me, I swear you will
crumble," Armand said sweetly. Turning from Lestat, going at mortal
speed, he strolled back to the townhouse, determined to make his
departure time to Paris, confident Lestat would kill the child. Once
his mortal spy, Manon Lescaut, wrote to him the deed was done he
would make sure with a letter Louis would find out. And if the deed
was not done he could always return to New Orleans and kill the boy
himself for the sheer pleasure of it.
Steeling himself, Lestat wandered past the rusted gate, and went
up the path to Old Sally's.
Fearfully, he tapped half heartedly on the door.
A young, muscular, very dark Negro in a faded French coat opened
the door to him.
"I, I came here to see a certain young man," Lestat said, handing
the slave his frock coat and hat.
"Do we have another visitor at last? Monday nights are much too
slow," Old Sally croaked, "Monsieur Lestat with you a pleasure
always. Do you like my newest acquisition. His name is Manon
Lescaut. Freshly bought he is. I needed a bouncer. I think he adds a
bit of class to the place what with his frighteningly dark looks,"
Old Sally crooned, patting Manon's backside. "He is very talented
Monsieur in way I think you would appreciate."
Manon, Armand's spy, looked down at the floor, his manner neither
was inviting or repelling.
"Non, through he is very handsome. I have came here for a certain
young man. He plays the piano." Lestat said his vision in a blur, he
took up her rough hand to kiss, "I would like to see Jamie."
"Presently, he's out in the kitchen washing potatoes for me. What
do you want him for?' she ached an eyebrow at him, her large red
mouth smirking, "Monsieur Louis pays me quite well to keep Jamie
private to himself."
"He does?" Lestat said faintly, his chest feeling tight.
Oui, every night the two of them steal away to the bedroom
upstairs. They look so sweet together the two of them. Like a
brother with a much younger brother. Through I am sure they do not
act like brothers once they close the door! If Jamie be willing, I
will not be telling Monsieur Louis if you want to pay for him for
the night. It will be our little secret." She held out her large paw
expectantly.
"Here," Lestat said in a hollow voice dropping the coins on her
palm. She happily pocketed the silver, her face was smug.
"Manon, go fetch Jamie," she said.
"Oui madam," the young man said. He took himself to the kitchen,
bringing Jamie along with him.
Lestat stood stunned, paralyzed. He never really looked at Jamie.
Jamie was just a piece of the background.
"Monsieur, you wished to speak with me?'" Jamie said, standing
before him, his eyes humbly downcast as was befitting.
Here before him was a beautiful young man with looks which echoed
Louis features. The pointed chin, the high cheekbones, almost
Oriental, hooded eyelids which rather than holding a wealth of green
eyes under them held instead golden eyes. The only thing which made
his face different was his wider nose, and his thicker lips, and the
pungent cinnamon brown of his complexion. In gestures he was very
alike Louis. Lestat couldn't help but feel aroused by such a
delectable victim.
"I need to speak with you, young man," Lestat said almost ready
to turn around and run. He found himself to be not only aroused by
this young man but very afraid of him too. Afraid of what Jamie was
going to tell him about Louis.
Jamie hesitated, then he said in a small voice. "Oui Monsieur. I
want to go with you."
He followed Lestat up into the bedroom.
I have heard rumors about you," Lestat sad, trying to make his
voice gentle, "About you and Louis."
"What do they say about us?" Jamie said faintly. The man standing
before him had a mane of brilliant shoulder length hair, his gray
eyes were chilly and crisp. His face as beautiful as an angel's
carved out of ice. Jamie knew this person was the same type of ghoul
as Louis. He knew he was a killer of men. A creature who could take
him to his death. Take him to be where Paul was. "What do you want
of me, monsieur?" Jamie said, gathering up his courage.
Jamie blinked his eyes and gasped. Behind Lestat he could see
Paul,
Paul raised his transparent finger to his lips, hushing Jamie
before he almost cried out.
"What is the matter? You look frightened?" Lestat said,
shivering, feeling a cold draft fill the room.
"I am no longer frightened Monsieur," Jamie said sincerely,
looking away from Paul, resigning himself to Lestat, determined to
goad the him into killing him.
"Are you Louis' lover?"
"Oui, I'm his lover," Jamie said gently, looking straight at Paul
who was invisable to Lestat. Now he knew exactly how to insure
Lestat would kill him. By his appealing to Lestat's jealousy.
nature.
"His lover," Lestat repealed.
"Oui, he takes me in his arms. And he kisses me, with such
passionate beautiful kisses so filled with love," Jamie said
quietly.
A ghostly tear fell down Paul's cheek. He never kissed Jamie's
fearsome, thick, African lips. He only allowed Jamie to kiss him,
and never would he kiss him back.
''And monsieur, he touches me here," Jamie pointed to his breast.
"Here," Lestat whispered, enchanted, jealous and spiteful. He
unbuttoned Jamie's thin, cheap shirt, exposing his pink nipple,
touching it, bringing the flesh to arousal.
"Ah monsieur, he touches me more deeply then how you are touching
me," Jaime whispered, "Monsieur, he touches my heart."
Gasping as if he had been burned, embarrassed, Lestat dropped his
hand from Jamie's chest.
Jamie unafraid, watched the sadness in Paul's face, both of them
knowing Paul had never touched his body, keeping the sex between
them one sided where only Jamie did the touching and holding.
"And monsieur, he takes me with his, his hands upon me, and he
loves me. He lets me know he loves me."
"There, with his hands he touches you there,' Lestat asked
putting his hand between Jamie's thighs.
"Oui," Jamie whispered, "Do not hate us monsieur. I beg of you,
please do not hate us. Or think badly of us, we are in love."
"You know of my nature?" Lestat asked.
"Oui," Jamie said quietly.
"Then why are you so passive to death?"
"Has not judgment already been passed against me? I love him. Let
me die, monsieur with dignity. The dignity that was never mine to
have for much of my life while I was a slave to my own uncle.
Execute your judgment against me monsieur for the crime of love."
Paul watched as Lestat embraced Jamie. Lestat's blood tainted
breath and lips were tickling Jamie's neck. Twirling around with
Jamie, Lestat held his young warm body close to his hard cold one.
"You love him. How much do you love him?" Lestat whispered as he
led Jamie into a dance.
"More than I can say."
A blood stained tear fell from Lestat's eye onto Jamie's cheek.
"I love him too, I made him for myself, so I have no choice but to
condemn you. When it comes matters of love and death a vampire has
to be ruthless," Lestat whispered unhappily. "Out of respect for
Louis your death will be a gentle one. I cannot have you coming
between myself and my fledging. I will hang your body on a tree. I
will cut your throat after you are dead. He will think it was humans
who killed you. Revenging themselves for the death of Freniere. It
perhaps will drive him into his nature and he will kill mortals out
of revenge for your death. Who will he turn to for comfort but to
none other than myself? For Louis' sake you must die. I can offer
him more than you can. If you love him as you say you do. You will
welcome your death."
Slowly Lestat's deadly lips parted. Jamie gave out a little gasp,
holding on to Lestat's shoulder's tightly, starring over Lestat's
shoulder into Paul's ghostly eyes. | 