Lay Me To Sleep

Chapter Six- Aurora

-Nina -------------------------------
I felt the strangers teeth extend and enter my neck with a sickening pop. I screamed. I imagine the sound that erupted from my chest was horrifying, though I couldn't stop it. This was the most painful experience of my life. I tried think back, I wondered what I ever did to deserve this pain. It was like fire was spreading to all parts of my body. And no one was there to put it out. I would die here, I thought. I could feel the warm liquid flowing from my neck pour out a little. The gash on the side of my head still hurt but I could tell it wasn't bleeding as profusely. Blood.....It spread down my throat and onto the pavement, I could feel a lot of it on my dress. It wouldn't matter though, I probably wouldn't see tomorrow.

As the seconds ticked by I was feeling colder and colder. I knew why but didn't want to believe it. For some reason I felt sort of calmer than I thought I should be. I should be screaming on the inside for the man to stop. And I wanted him to, but I felt almost okay with dying. I wasn't suicidal in any sense if the word. But I was okay with no longer living. No one would miss me if I died tonight, the sad realization had hit me. The only people I ever cared about and who cared about me were already dead. I could leave this world in peace, I thought. I could go to Mother and Catherine, be with them after death.

It was then that my head had hit the cold ground again. The weight on me was lifted. The stranger attacking me was suddenly gone. It was as if he disappeared. And I would've believed it, if not for the large gash in my neck. Blood continued to pour out of my neck as I lay there. Until I felt a shadow looming over me, the shadow dropped to it's knees. I felt human hands picking me up. I moaned and cried out in protest. I felt something like cloth touch my neck and press down. It hurt. I screamed a little.

"Shhh...shhh.. It's going to be alright, you're safe now I promise you. I just need.. "The new stranger trailed off. " ..need to stop all the blood. Be still I mean you no harm." I could tell by the voice that this new stranger was a man. He was trying to save my life, part of me wondered where my attacker had gone? Wherever he went off to I had hoped he didn't come back. I didn't want my rescuer getting killed because of me. It was then that he began to move, he moved incredibly fast. It made my stomach churn. I was losing it. I felt like I was going to pass out. I heard a now distant voice calling to me. The mans voice.

"Hold on for me, a while longer...please.."

-Lestat -----------------------------------
Louie had been gone for longer than usual. He usually didn't stay out this long, usually he fed and came home. Louie was a recluse of a vampire. He was different, he never liked the thought of killing, said he had a 'lingering respect for life'. As did I but not as much towards humans. Louie acted like a human, it was as if he forgot he had fangs sometimes. They were ours for the taking. We are vampires- it's in our nature to kill. Louie never liked that. Called me a 'monster' frequently for embracing what was in my nature to do- to kill. He never stayed out before the sun was about to rise. It was cause for concern- his absence. I needed to bring him home before he was ash. Just as I was about to run out of our home, I saw him carrying what looked like a person in his arms. A woman. She looked familiar.

Long, blonde hair. Eyes like the ocean. And tall. She was familiar. She was mine. Why was she seemingly unconscious in Louie's arms?! It infuriated me. No one was to touch her but myself. I had staked my claim on her. I ran over to Louie and wrenched her from his grasp. I let an inhuman growl rip out if my chest. I stared at Louie he was very confused I could tell.

"Lestat I found her in an alley. She was being attacked... She may die.. And, I don't know how to save her. Can you... Please, Lestat.. "Louie looked distraught. That beautiful pained expression played on his face again. I knew that look. He was out of options. He obviously didn't want to turn her or he would have done so already. I decided I would tell him later of my claim on her once she was safe from death. I motioned for Louie to come back inside. He shut the door, locked it and followed me. I took her to one of the bedrooms and lay her on the bed. We never used them but we had them. For show. So no one would suspect something was up. We had maids and they could talk. Plus I didn't feel like hiring a new once every time they came to clean. Blood was hard to get out of the carpet you know. So where we really stayed during the day was kept a secret from them, as to not have any 'messes' occur. I smiled at the thought.

The woman stirred. Her eyes opened but I could tell she still was not there with us in the room. She was probably dreaming. I turned her neck to the side and moved the cloth Louie had put there in an attempt to stop the bleeding. There was a lot of blood there. I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. I touched her bloodied neck and she moaned. That moan. It was beautiful I had to admit. But there were more immediate issues to attend to.

Her neck looked like a piece of raw meat, which it was but all the same, it did not look good. I looked over to Louie and nodded my head. "Louie.. Be calm I can save her.. She will not die.. This I promise you." I told Louie to fetch me some bandages and some small towels, warm water. I would first have to clean the wound, so it would not develop infection. It looked like she also had a gash on the side of her head, that would need to be cleaned as well. Her eyes fluttered open as I was cleaning her neck. She looked up at me, looked in my blue eyes and stifled another scream but settled for a loud cry of pain. Even when in pain she was beautiful. The way her face contorted when she moaned fascinated me to no end. I wanted her. I had to hold her down with my body to keep her from hurting herself trying to get away from me. I liked her, I thought. She has fire. I looked her in the eyes and told her she was going to need to stop moving if she wished to live. But before I could finish the sentence she was once again unconscious. It didn't fail to surprise me though, she had obviously been through a lot in the last day.

As I was cleaning her wounds, a small amount of blood rested on her neck and had traveled down to her clavicle. All I needed was one taste. I needed to know more, I needed to know what happened to her and what she knew. I didn't pierce the skin, I merely lapped up the blood already there. After all she was asleep and I would cause her no harm. I could see the whole scene unravel before my eyes, only I was in her place. I could see the attack from her perspective. Vampire. I knew it. She knew it. I just hoped she wouldn't remember what actually occurred. I did not want to have to explain our existence to her so soon. Someday I would tell her or she's smart- she'd figure it all out. I just didn't want to scare her. The vision ended with her seeing a man- Louie, saving her and her last thought was of me. Before she blacked out she saw my face.

I cleaned the wound on her neck and had stitched it up with a needle and thread. I wanted to turn her, but not just yet. I wanted to see what kind of human she was before I could see what kind of vampire she would become. So obviously I couldn't go around giving her blood whilst she was on the verge of death. If she got bad enough I would turn her. She was mine and I would not harm her not would I lose her to death or anything else. I wasn't sure what I felt for her it was something unexplainable. And I knew it the second I saw her open that door, just as I can see it now when I look into those pain- engulfed eyes.

Louie had come back into the room, I told him of my claim on her. He hadn't known. He argued with me for nearly an hour about how wrong it was that I could put such a claim on a person. I told him it was none if his business, that I couldn't help myself and that he better not lay a finger on her, lest he wished for death.  The night went on like this between me and him.  Until I heard a noise in the bedroom. I ran from Louie and to her as he called after me. She was sitting up in bed, obviously confused and scared. She was in an unfamiliar place with her neck mauled. Anyone would be a little freaked out. I smirked and chuckled- a little too loudly by my guess. She looked in my direction with wide, horrified eyes as she jumped off the bed, screamed and ran for the other room. She ran straight into Louie and almost fell to the floor but instead landed in his strong arms. She thrashed about and screamed. Louie covered her mouth and told her she was alright but she never stilled. He let her go but she hit him hard in the face. A straight shot as hard as she could. She then ran around him and to the door, finding it locked with a padlock and guess who had the key? Moi. She stood there for a second before running off in another direction. I had never seen anything like it, she was quick on her feet and defended herself mercilessly. She just about knocked Louie unconscious so that was indeed saying something. If she was like this human I could only imagine what kind of vampire she would be.

She tried desperately for a way out. I almost felt sorry for her, it was all very amusing. Not to mention the way she pulled of my clothes. I had selected a white blouse and trousers for her. The trousers didn't fit so she was clad in only a strange mans shirt, my shirt.

I rounded the corner before she could and caught her in my arms. This was going to get interesting, I thought as I looked into her eyes. "Nice to see you're awake."I said, a smirk playing on my lips. As a gasp accompanied her wide eyes.