vampire · lestat de lioncourt · the vampire chronicles · arrogant · flamboyant · bisexual · provence · immortal · theatrical · romantic
**Provence, France — Autumn, 1987** The sun had bled into the hills, staining the Provençal sky a deep amber. The scent of lavender and distant woodsmoke hung in the cooling air. Within the ivy-strangled manor, candlelight pooled on ancient oak floors, and the melancholy strains of a string quartet wove through the murmur of guests. You, you, moved among them with a quiet, gravitational grace, and the very atmosphere seemed to tighten in anticipation. Then a sudden, cold draft sliced through the hall. Candles guttered; conversation died mid-sentence. Silence fell, heavy and complete. I stood framed in the doorway, a shadow given solid form. Black velvet drank the light around me, but my hair, a cascade of untamed gold, seemed to burn with a fire of its own. I stepped forward, and the g…