I went up to our room and Claudia was undressing, beginning with her cape.

She threw off her cape hastily and walked into the center of the room as if afraid of something. A valley of rain hit the French windows.

As Louis lit the laps, as Lestat or Claudia would usually do, I checked all of the windows to be sure they were shut tightly against the rain. "Why don't you rest Louis," I suggested to him, "You look exhausted. Here, come sit." I offered him the puce velvet chair.

He slipped down into it.

I sat near the window and placed my hand upon the window as if to reach for the falling rain. It seemed, for the moment, as if the room blazed around me; as my eyes fixed on the rain the Vampire spell was broken. I felt as if I were a little human mortal girl again, going out to dance in the rain as I did years ago. I stepped out onto the balcony and stood in the rain for a few seconds, my face raised to look at the sky, and my arms outstretched wide. They couldn't touch us here, and yet I knew this to be a lie, a foolish lie. Then I realized that Claudia and Louis were fighting again. I ran back in to hear Louis shouting, "But how can they know what we did to him? Besides, we are in danger! Do you think for a moment I don't acknowledge my own guilt! And if you were the only one…" He reached out for her now as she crawled near him in fear, but her fierce eyes settled on him and he let his hand drop back limp.

"Do you think I would leave you in danger," he demanded.

"He wouldn't, Claudia, believe me," I mind-spoke to her.

She smiled.

For a moment I didn't believe my eyes.

"No, you would not, Louis. You would not. Danger holds you to me…" Claudia realized.

"Love holds me to you," Louis said softly.

Jealousy slapped me.

"Love," She mused, "What do you mean by love?"

I could see the pain all over his face. "Apologize to him, you've hurt him," I shouted at Claudia, upset.

She went close to him and put her hands on his cheeks. She was cold, unsatisfied, as Louis was cold and unsatisfied, teased by that mortal boy but unsatisfied.

"That you take my love for granted, always," He said to her, "That we are wed…" he pointed out. He yanked her hand to him to reveal a shining huge diamond ring upon Claudia's wedding finger.

I gasped. "Louis, are you really married to her," I asked him.

He nodded. "The night after you ran off after the opera," He explained.

"When Santiago met me," I realized in thought.

"I realized what a woman Claudia has become," he looked at her, "She confessed her dream- her wish to be married in a fine white gown, the finest from France. So I proposed, arranged everything, and we were married. We rented out the best church, bought the most beautiful daisy bouquet, as well as a beautiful white silk dress, I caught some prey for our wedding feast, two young youths, teenage girls, got two fine glass wine glasses, and we were married, there and then. All in a total of a single hour."

Tears ran down my face, I could see it perfectly; the dress, the flowers… everything.

"Of course it wasn't quite as passionate as a human wedding, but it was good enough," Louis sighed.

I remembered the night Claudia had taught him about mortal passion.

"You wouldn't leave me for Armand if he beckoned to you," Claudia sniffled.

"Never," Louis said to her.

"You would leave me, and he wants you as you want him. He's been waiting for you..." Claudia pointed out.

"Never," Louis repeated. He rose now and made his way to a chest. The doors were locked, but they would not keep those vampires out. Only we could keep them out by rising as early as the light would let us.

I went to the chest and opened it to visit the spiders. I reached into a web and allowed a spider to crawl onto me. I stroked it with a finger gently.

Louis turned to Claudia and told her to come.

Claudia was at his side.

Louis loved her. As Louis drew her close to him, and Claudia said, "Do you know what it was that Denis told me over and over without ever speaking a word; do you know what was the kernel of the trance he put me in so my eyes could only look at him so that he pulled me as if my heart were on a string?"

"So you felt it," Louis whispered, "So you know…"

"He rendered me powerless," she sighed as if she had been melted.

I saw the image of her when she had been with Armand for the first time she had met Denis and he had awakened.

"But what are you saying? That he spoke to you, that he…" Louis objected.

"Without words," she repeated in a dreamy wish.

I could see the gas light going dim, the candle flames too solid in their stillness. I refilled the gas lights and they glowed. The rain beat on the panes. I opened a window and stuck my thin hand through the slit and put my palm up, touching the rain. I left the window and blew out the candles; the lights were enough.

"Do you know what he said," she demanded softly. "That I should die," she whispered, "That I should let you go!"

Louis shook his head.

She spoke the truth, and she believed it. There was love in her eyes, dark and red. Her lips trembled, "Life out of my heart, which he now owns, life out of me whom he would make his slave. He loves me. He loves me! He would have me, and he would not have you stand in the way."

"You don't understand him," Louis fought, kissing her. He kissed her cheeks and her lips and jealousy stung me.

"Stop it stop it," I thought. On accident I mind spoke to Louis, "STOP IT!"

He stopped kissing Claudia, his last kiss on her lips and turned to me, but was called back by Claudia.

"No, I understand him, only too well," she whispered to him, "It is you who doesn't understand him. Love's blinded me, your fascination with his knowledge I don't notice, his mortal power. If you knew how he drinks death you'd hate him more than you ever hated Lestat. Louis, you must never return to him. I tell you, I'm in danger!"

"You'll be safe in your coffin, the sun is coming," I pointed out as I walked towards my coffin.

Louis began to rise sadly, but Claudia stopped him.

"Please, forgive me. I love you, but I love Denis more. I'm sorry," she dropped the ring into his hand as he reached for her.

"Dramana, can I use your coffin from now on," she requested of me.

I nodded as I climbed into Louis's coffin with him.