surrounded me. In heat, as Claudia had died.
  
  "No, don't do it," he said. How earnest he was, how persuasive. But it didn't work.
  
  "Do you want the blood?" I asked. "It doesn't take very long. There's very little pain. 
I'm confident the others won't hurt you. I'll make you so strong they'd have a devil of a 
time if they tried."
  
  Again, it was so like Magnus, who'd left me an orphan without so much as a warning that 
Armand and his ancient coven could come after me, cursing me and seeking to put an end to 
my newborn life. And Magnus had known that I would prevail.
  
  "Lestat, I do not want the blood. But I want you to stay here. Look, give me a matter 
of a few nights only. Just that much. On account of friendship, Lestat, stay with me now. 
Can't you give me those few hours? And then if you must go through with it, I won't argue 
anymore."
  
  "Why?"
  
  He looked stricken. Then he said, "Let me talk to you, let me change your mind,"
  
  "You killed the tiger when you were very young, didn't you? It was in India." I gazed 
around at the other trophies. "I saw the tiger in a dream."
  
  He didn't answer. He seemed anxious and perplexed.
  
  "I've hurt you," I said. "I've driven you deep into memories of your youth. I've made 
you aware of time, and you weren't so aware of it before."
  
  Something happened in his face. I had wounded him with these words. Yet he shook his 
head.
  
  "David, take the blood from me before I go!" I whispered suddenly, desperately. "You 
don't have a year left to you. I can hear it when I'm near you! I can hear the weakness 
in your heart."
  
  "You don't know that, my friend," he said patiently, "Stay here with me. I'll tell you 
all about the tiger, about those days in India. I hunted in Africa then, and once in the 
Amazon. Such adventures. I wasn't the musty scholar then as I am now . . ."
  
  "I know." I smiled. He had never spoken this way to me before, never offered so much. 
"It's too late, David," I said. Again, I saw the dream. I saw that thin gold chain around 
David's neck. Had the tiger been going for the chain? That didn't make sense. What 
remained was the sense of danger.
  
  I stared at the skin of the beast. How purely vicious was his face.
  
  "Was it fun to kill the tiger?" I asked.
  
  He hesitated. Then forced himself to answer. "It was a man-eater. It feasted on 
children. Yes, I suppose it was fun."
  
  I laughed softly. "Ah, well, then we have that in common, me and the tiger. And Claudia 
is waiting for me."
  
  "You don't really believe that, do you?"
  
  "No. I guess if I did, I'd be afraid to die." I saw Claudia quite vividly... a tiny 
oval portrait on porcelain-golden hair, blue eyes. Something fierce and true in the 
expression, in spite of the saccharine colors and the oval frame. Had I ever possessed 
such a locket, for that is what it was, surely. A locket. A chill came over me. I 
remembered the texture of her hair. Once again, it was as if she were very near me. Were 
I to turn, I might see her beside me in the shadows, with her hand on the back of my 
chair. I did turn around. Nothing. I was going to lose my nerve if I didn't get out of 
here.
  
  "Lestat!" David said urgently. He was scanning me, desperately trying to think of 
something more to say. He pointed to my coat. "What's that in your pocket? A note you've 
written? You mean to leave it with me? Let me read it now."
  
  "Oh, this, this strange little story," I said, "here, you may
  
  have it. I bequeath it to you. Fitting that it should be in a library, perhaps wedged 
somewhere on one of these shelves." I took out the little folded packet and glanced at 
it. "Yes, I've read this. It's sort of amusing." I tossed the packet into his lap. "Some 
fool mortal gave it to me, some poor benighted soul who knew who I was and had just 
enough courage to toss it at my feet."
  
  "Explain this to me," said David. He unfolded the pages. "Why are you carrying it with 
you? Good Lord-Lovecraft." He gave a little shake of his head.
  
  "I just did explain it," I said. "It's no use, David, I can't be talked down from the 
high ledge. I'm going. Besides, the story doesn't mean a thing. Poor fool. . ."
  
  He had had such strange glittering eyes. Whatever had been so wrong about the way he 
came running towards me across the sand? About his awkward panic-stricken retreat? His 
manner had indicated such importance! Ah, but this was foolish. I didn't care, and I knew 
I didn't. I knew what I meant to do.
  
  "Lestat, stay here!" David said. "You promised the very next time we met, you would let 
me say all I have to say. You wrote that to me, Lestat, you remember? You won't go back 
on your word."
  
  "Well, I have to go back on it, David. And you have to forgive me because I'm going. 
Perhaps there is no heaven or hell, and I'll see you on the other side."
  
  "And what if there is both? What then?"
  
  "You've been reading too much of the Bible. Read the Love-craft story." Again, I gave a 
short laugh. I gestured to the pages he was holding. "Better for your peace of mind. And