Part 7

"L-Lestat…what are you-"

"Doing here?" He grins slowly and it sends chills down my spine. But not the good kind. The shadows of the house make the planes of his face deeper and more frightening than I've ever known them. His handsome features are scary to me now. "I should be asking that of you. This is my home."

Oh. Shit. I freeze, locked in place, my eyes wide with fear. Lestat chuckles, stepping closer to me, his lithe body pressed against mine. He rubs his cheek against mine and I hear him inhale the scent of me. When he looks down at me, his eyes are yellow.

"Why are you here, my pet?" he asks with a devilish grin. He knows why I'm here. He knew before I did. "You want more…I feel it. I feel your yearning. It is very strong. With most, it takes three bites to achieve the yearning you feel."

I'm an addict. Like a druggie. And Lestat's the creepy dealer who waves more of the drug in front of my face, inticing me, pulling me back into it's power. And if the look in his eyes is any indication, I'm guessing I'm about to overdose.

"I can give you want you want…" he's saying.

No. No. I don't want it. Not from you.

"…you can have it…"

I want this from Spike. I want Spike's hands. Spike's lips. Spike's fangs. I want his bite. I want him to love me, to turn me. I want to be with him…

"…for eternity."

Lestat's pushed my hair back and his lips are poised over the bite marks he made just hours before. I've got to stop him. But his hold over me…this magic, psychic, vampirey hold thing is so powerful. I close my eyes as I feel my body unwillingly respond to him. I focus my mind on one thing- one person.

"No."

With that one word, Lestat freezes and draws back to stare wide-eyed at me. "What?"

"No," I repeat it stronger, more forcefully this time and I pull out of his grasp.

His initial shock is wearing off and he growls fiercely. For the first time in his presence I'm afraid. The mystery and allure have faded, like one of Willow's glamours and I'm seeing clearly now. Slowly I back away from him, preparing to run. It's still light out. If I can just get outside…

"Bitch." He lunges for me and I fall under his weight, screaming as I hit the hard floor. My head reels with the impact and Lestat pins my arms above my head, effectively halting any movement on my part. The rage in his golden eyes is like I've never seen in anyone's before. But when he speaks, his voice is dangerously low. "I underestimated you. You seemed the easy kill. You want it, I know. You crave it. I didn't even have to use a fraction of my power to lure you into me. You gave yourself so easily, whore. But now I see that I will have a challenge on my hands after all and oh, am I going to enjoy this."

I digest his words with a grain of salt. The panic spreading through my body is blocking out any other affect they could have on me. So I do the only thing that makes sense. I scream. Loud. To my ears, it's a shrill, terrified sound that lasts for a few moments before I realize that I'm screaming a word. A name.

"Spiiiiiiiiiiiike!"

Lestat's momentary confusion gives me all the opportunity I need. A swift knee to the crotch- gets 'em every time, dead or no- and I'm racing as fast as I can away from the vampire. However, it's a matter of seconds before I realize I have no idea where I'm going.

I don't know how I got in here and I don't know how to get out. Where the hell is the exit? This is just a long corridor with rows and rows of doors, none of which look like they lead outside. He's behind me. I can hear him coming closer…closer. My feet take off at a run and I duck through one of the doors, locking it behind me. I find myself in a cavernous room with- oh great- a large, four poster bed.

OK, calm down Jade. Think. What would Spike do? Spike would stop running like a pansy and go kick Lestat's ass. Not exactly an option for me. Hiding's not much of an option either, though. Lestat can probably hear my heartbeat a mile away. And smell me too.

Running. Running is my only option. My only chance. A slim chance, since he has, you know, super-speed. There's a door on the other side of the room. Please don't' be a closet, please don't be a closet. I dash towards it and fling it open and I scream when I come face to face with Lestat.

The door makes a loud banging sound as I slam it shut and run back into the hall. I don't aim for any place in particular, I just run down the corridor. The floorboards creak and groan beneath my pounding feet and I round a corner, screaming in anguish when it's a dead end. Shit!

His footsteps are behind me. Slow. So slow. Coming closer, closer, closer. "Jade…" he calls in a sing-song voice followed by manic laughter. He's insane. He's fucking insane. And I slept with him. Ugh. OK…focus, Jade. Think.

Spike taught me a little self-defense. Enough to take on maybe a drunken, one-legged fledgling.

I hear his voice in my head, a conversation from long ago. "Aim straight. Keep your footing."

"What if I can't kill it?"

"Then you hold it off as long as you can until I get there."

"And what if you don't come?"

"I will, pet. I will."

There's a wooden candlestick lying on its side on a little table nearby. I guess it's my only shot. With a shaky hand I pick it up and turn to face the sound of Lestat's approaching footsteps.

TBC…

Reviews please!!!!!!!!!!!!!