Evaline | L. Lioncourt ✔

[08] Former Self

Lestat sat up alert upon the sound of running footsteps edging towards the mansion. Night had fallen so his senses were sharper than ever and he knew Evaline was approaching. Though he had not expected her to be accompanied by someone for not far off, another scent mingled with hers, trailing towards him due to the gentle breeze that drifted across the mansion.

The crunching of leaves grew louder and closer, soon enough he could see her running through the corridor that led straight to his room. But instead of stopping at the doorway, she came straight inside. He stood up from his armchair, hands reaching out to steady her as she stumbled.

She was out of breath and her eyes were wide in fear as she cowered behind him, clutching his arm tightly. He could sense the fear coursing through her veins and his jaw clenched realizing that the two weren't alone in the mansion. 

A man walked up to the room as well and her grip on Lestat's arm tightened.

"You are trespassing, Sir," Lestat spoke in a surprisingly calm voice with a hint of forbearance in it as he crossed the threshold. His eyes were flickering to a deep grey shade, focused on the entrant hungrily.

"She made me enter this dump or else I had no intentions of even stepping in such filth. You release that girl and I will be on my way."

He rose an eyebrow skeptically, a threatening smile playing upon his lips, "oh. But she will not be accompanying you."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" His voice rose to an alarming pitch and he took a step forward but Lestat stood in front of her protectively. "I paid for this night and no way in hell am I going to let you or anyone else ruin it."

"You paid for a night? Ah my apologies, Sir, I had not known. Allow me to make her understand and then you can be on your way. I will not stop you."

The man dipped his head in an affirmative nod so he turned to face Evaline, gently retrieving his arm from hers. She was terrified and her eyes were imploring him to not leave her. "Monsieur, I beg you... Please... I do not want to go with him."

Tears streaked down her face and he noticed that her blouse was ripped from the neckline. He took off the shawl that was draped over his shoulders, gently wrapping it around her delicate frame instead. 

His hands lingered near her face as if to cup her cheek in his palms in a comforting gesture, but he refrained from touching her. Gazing reassuringly in her blue eyes, he spoke, "say no more and close your eyes, chérie."

The man seemed to have not realized what was going to happen, "I do not have enough time, this woman has already wasted an hour and now you are making it worse. Hand her over, right now."

"How correct you are..." Lestat turned to face him, face set in a menacing smile that finally showed his fangs, voice laced with sarcasm, "you truly do not have enough time, Sir."

His eyes had widened in shock and he took a step back but Lestat did not give him enough time to retaliate as he grabbed him by the neck, sinking his fangs deep while stifling his cries for help. After so many years, human blood filled his mouth and he relished the taste, his sharp teeth biting deeper into his flesh.

He could feel his strength returning and the more he drank from him, the better he felt; a strange sort of energy coursing through his body. It was a sensation that he had craved for so long that he had almost forgotten how enthralling it felt.

He drained the man of every single drop, waiting for his heart to come to a stop but a soft thud sounded behind him so he left the body, wiping off his mouth before turning around. But the sweet maiden had fainted and had fallen to the ground, her face ashen and her hands cold.

Lestat realized that she had probably seen him feeding on that man and had not kept her eyes closed as he had instructed her to. Kicking off the corpse to the side, he bent down on his knees closer to Evaline.

Fear dripped from her features and seeing her in such torment made him feel guilty of getting rid of the man in front of her. He knew she had a sensitive heart and envisioning the brutal murder must have scarred her mentally.

He reached out towards her, fingers curling away as his knuckles gently brushed off the tears from her face. It was then he noticed that his hands were no longer mere bones covered with grey skin, instead the pallor from his skin had turned into the former white.

And though it was quite overwhelming for him to find out that after so many years, he had finally returned to his former self, Evaline was his foremost priority at the moment.

With his shawl still draped over her delicate frame, he gently carried her to the other side of the mansion where a bedroom was located. Placing her down on the bed, he unfolded the blanket she had brought for him earlier, laying it on top of her.

Unlike the room where he mostly spent his days, the windows of the bedroom were not covered with vines so he knew sunlight would pour in the instant the darkness of the night would fade into morning. Looking out of the broken glass, he could assess that there were still a few hours left until dawn, enough time for him to dispose of the corpse and venture out to find another prey or two. 

So after one last glance of making sure that she was going to be fine, he stepped out of his sanctuary at last, dragging the corpse behind him. He knew he simply had to return before the first ray of dawn. Because he could not leave her alone in the desolate ruin for long.

He also knew that he had to be with her when she woke up because she was terrified already and seeing the end of the man had probably had a traumatic effect on her. There was a high chance that she would never meet him again out of fear, but he had to make sure that she knew that he had meant her no harm. 

And if after that she chose to leave him, he would dare not object for deep down he knew that caring for a monster like him could only do her more harm than any good.

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