Lestat doesn't handle mysteries with patience. In his world, things either belong to him or they are in his way. He moved faster than I could track—a blur of movement that ended with him standing over the bed, his presence heavy and cold.
I flinched, pulling the sheets up to my chest. Before I could move, his hand shot out and gripped the gold amulet around my neck.
The second his fingers closed around the metal, a sharp, loud snap echoed in the room.
It felt like a physical blow to my chest. Lestat hissed and jerked his hand back, his eyes widening as he stared at his palm. He looked more insulted than hurt.
"Lestat," Louis said from the doorway, his voice a low warning.
"The little thing has a sting," Lestat muttered. He didn't look away from me. The charm he'd had a moment ago was gone, replaced by a sharp, dangerous irritation. He stepped closer, crowding me back against the headboard.
"What are you? Some little witch from the swamp? Who gave you this?"
He grabbed my chin, his grip like iron. His skin was unnaturally smooth and freezing cold. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. I was trembling so hard I could hear my teeth clicking together.
"I... I don't know," I managed to whisper.
"Please, just let me go."
"Don't lie to me," he snapped. He leaned in so close I could smell the faint scent of ozone and expensive cologne. "You appear in a locked courtyard. You have no thoughts in your head—just a wall of silence. And your heart is thumping like a frantic animal. People don't just drop from the sky, chérie."
I felt a wave of heat surge through my body, a sick, burning fever that made my skin itch. It wasn't the panic. It was something deeper, something in my blood that was reacting to his hand on me. A low, vibrating sound started in my chest—a growl I didn't intend to make.
Lestat's eyes flickered. He didn't let go; he gripped my jaw tighter. "Did you hear that, Louis? The stray is baring her teeth."
"Leave her alone, Lestat," Louis said, finally moving into the light. He looked at me, his expression a mix of pity and confusion. "She's terrified. She doesn't even know where she is."
"She knows exactly what she is," Lestat countered, his voice dropping to a hiss. He let go of my face and reached for the amulet again, more carefully this time, hovering his hand over it. "She smells of wet earth and old magic. She's a witch, and she's trespassing."
He looked back at me, his eyes dark and predatory. "Who sent you? Was it the Talamasca? Or one of the families in the Quarter?"
"No one sent me," I sobbed, the heat in my blood reaching a breaking point. I felt my fingernails digging into my palms, sharper than they should be, drawing a tiny bead of blood.
The amulet pulsed against my skin, a heavy, rhythmic thud that felt like a warning. It wasn't "zapping" him now, but the air in the room was growing heavy, making it hard to breathe.
Lestat stood up, looking down at me with pure suspicion. "We'll see. You'll stay here until you decide to tell the truth. And if you try to leave, I'll find out just how much that gold piece can actually protect you."
He turned on his heel and walked toward the door, leaving me shaking and alone on the bed with Louis, who just watched me in silence.
I was trapped in 1910, in a house owned by 2 killers, and my own body felt like it was turning into something I didn't recognize.