The night was drawing to a close, and Louis could feel the soft pull of the sunrise calling him to coffin. Louis had always felt that urge stronger and earlier than Lestat, who had also been the one to rise earlier than Louis in the evening. However, most mornings he joined Louis on his way to coffin, even if he didn’t have to, and – while Louis would never admit it openly – secretly these were his favourite moments on most days, and he looked forward to them every night. Cosying up with Lestat in their coffin, feeling Lestat’s body next to his, falling asleep with the quiet drum of Lestat’s heartbeat in his own veins.

Sunrise was still only a faint promise on the horizon, and Lestat sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the fire, playing with their new housemate, the kitten Lestat had nicknamed “petit enragé” even before he had given him his official name, “Barney”. Louis thought “little fiend” was a much more suitable name for the tiny grey tabby, but Lestat insisted the cat needed a proper name. Barney le Petit Enragè de Lioncourt. What a mouthful for such a small creature. Ridiculous. But so was this whole situation, to be honest. Two vampires and a cat. It sounded like the beginning of a silly joke.

Lestat dangled a velvety tassel that Louis was very sure he had previously seen adorning their new living room curtains up and down in front of Barney, who tried to catch it with his rather large front paws. He was really only a baby kitten, so he and his sparring partner were quite unfairly matched. Lestat could have outwitted the tiny cat easily, but let him generously win on occasion, catch the tassel and sink his small teeth into it, chewing on the fabric ferociously. Louis could already see several velvet threads on the floor that had been ripped out by tiny feline fangs and made a mental note about calling their interior designer the following night. And probably a pet shop for some animal-appropriate toys.

Louis got up from the settee and stretched his limbs. Before he could say anything, Lestat smiled up at him and removed Barney from his lap, where the little fiend had launched another attack on the evil tassel. Barney apparently disliked this treatment and omitted a small squeak in protest that playtime was over. Since this didn’t seem to change the situation, he settled on his hind legs and started licking his front paws. Lestat got up, strolled over to Louis, cupped his lover’s face with his hands and kissed him gently on the lips.

“Est-ce l’heure du coucher, mon cœur?” he murmered against Louis’ lips.

Lestat had always been the affectionate one in their relationship, had hardly been able to keep his hands off of Louis, but tonight he seemed particularly tender and caring. Louis could not say he minded the extra attention very much. He entwined his fingers with Lestat’s, and together they made their way towards the stairs, when Lestat turned around and called: “Barney, viens à nous! Come, Barney!” He clicked his fingers at the cat, whose large bat-like ears flipped up, and he skipped obediently towards the vampires.

When Barney reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and gave the first step a measuring look. Then he glanced back at the two tall men watching him. Focusing again on the task at hand, he tentatively tried to reach the top of the step with his front paw, giving it a gentle pat. After eyeing the vampires again – were they really not going to help him? – he pushed himself upwards with all his might and jumped onto the first step. He had probably miscalculated his momentum slightly because he skidded across the tread and almost bumped into the riser. To restore his dignity, he shook himself and pranced into position to take on the next step, but not before making sure he still had an audience.

“Quite the actor, that one. Not really a question of who he takes after.” Louis remarked in mock exasperation while Lestat laughed at Barney’s efforts, picked him up. and carried the struggling kitten upstairs with Louis trailing after them. Louis would have preferred if Barney had remained downstairs – out of reach and safe – but decided not to say anything. They would never know how – if – living with a cat worked if they didn’t try it and Louis was committed to doing his best.

They reached the top of the stairs, and Lestat sat Barney down again. The kitten immediately started purring and weaving excited circles around Lestat’s and Louis’ legs, bopping and rubbing his head against their shins.

“Ah ah ah!” chided Lestat. “Careful, mon petit! You are going to make us trip over you! You don’t want a full-grown vampire – or two…” he added with a side glance at Louis “to fall on top of you and crush you?”

“Par ici!” he pointed the way to the coffin room and, with a last look up Lestat’s slender calves, Barney happily bounced ahead in the indicated direction. He turned around every other hop to make sure the two vampires were following. When he reached the doorframe, he emitted a questioning sound that wasn’t quite a proper “meow”, more like “mow” if it rhymed with “wow”, and with another look at the couple, he chased into the room and came to a skittering halt in front of Louis’ coffin on the right.

If at all possible, his enormous eyes grew even bigger as he assessed the height of the wooden box. Since once again his new-found two-legged friends proved to be unhelpful observers, he decided to take the impossibly high obstacle on himself. He crouched low, his hind legs coiled like springs, and his fluffy tail twitching with anticipation. His eyes focused on the edge of the coffin, then he leapt up into the air. His soft paws outstretched, he landed with a soft thud, pulling himself up with determination.

With a triumphant cock of his head, Barney continued his journey balancing along the rims, tail erect in the air. Lestat laughed and put his arm around Louis’ waist to draw him closer while they watched their baby kitten make his way to the head end. When he reached his desired destination, he hopped down onto the cushions without hesitation, kneaded them with his paws in a tight circle until he was satisfied with the results, and folded himself into a big ball of shiny silvery fur. Happy and content. And fast asleep after the evening’s excitement.

Louis let out a sigh, feeling real exasperation now, and flung his arms up in a hopeless gesture.

“Now, where will we sleep?”

He knew it made him sound like a whiny toddler, but the night’s events were grating on his nerves, which hadn’t been in the best of states to begin with, and he longed for the comforting confines of his coffin. The one now occupied with a tiny furry creature. One that Lestat was very fond of, or else the idea of a light midnight snack was beginning to sound more and more appealing.

Lestat – as always – seemed unperturbed. He simply shrugged and walked over to his own, usually abandoned resting place on the left. He opened the lid with an inviting gesture and winked at Louis:

“C’est bon, tu peux être au-dessus.”

It was one of those moments in which Louis wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to roll his eyes at his lover or be utterly charmed by him. He did have a way about him, even if it sometimes was “cringe” as his human band members would say. With a faint exhale, Louis relented, removed his clothes and threw them on a chair in the corner of the room. He simply lacked the energy to fold them properly. He glided into the coffin and let his body mould itself into the space next to Lestat. Feeling Lestat’s naked skin against his own with Lestat’s arms folded around his body had the desired effect, and the tension slowly ebbed away. He rested his head on Lestat’s chest and felt the other one’s lips press a reassuring kiss on his forehead.

“Bonne nuit, mon cher. Fais de doux rêves.”

“Merci”, murmered Louis and closed his eyes.

Before his eyelids had even fully settled, a scratching sound echoed from outside. Barney had obviously noticed the absence of his newly found family and had gone searching for them. Not happy about being excluded from whatever was going on, he fervently tried to claw his way into the coffin. Louis sighed – that damned cat! – but refused to react. He felt some movement when Lestat got up to save his coffin from destruction by tiny kitten and heard a creaking sound as the lid was opened again. There was this botched meowing again.

“Mow?”

After another deep breath, Louis gave up and lifted his gaze. There he was. The Little Fiend. Sitting at the foot end of Lestat’s coffin. Observing Louis with his enormously large eyes that glowed eerily in the dark. He cocked his tiny head and gave another “mow?”

Louis could hear Barney’s pulse quickening, the hammering little heart pumping blood through his tiny body and flooding his veins with adrenaline. The scent suddenly attacked Louis’ nostrils: so sweet and seductive. From the purest of creatures. Louis tried to look away, but it was as if Barney’s eyes had hypnotized him. He just couldn’t…

Barney took a few clumsy steps towards Louis, drawn to him as much as Louis was drawn to his blood. Luscious and mouthwatering blood. Barney’s paws stepped gingerly onto Louis’ legs, swaggering up his shins, coming dangerously close to Louis’ reach. Oh, please don’t come any closer…

Louis had gone rigid. All his mind, all his consciousness, was occupied with one thought: his desire for Barney’s blood and the struggle not to act upon his hunger. Saliva pooled in his mouth, he could almost taste the delicious juice spilling into his mouth, taste the sheer innocence of this being, feeling his short life drain out of him and knowing that he, Louis, held it in his palm. No, no… he mustn’t. This was Barney, their newly adopted pet… Lestat loved Barney… Stay away, Barney…

Barney had reached Louis’ hips and sat down, ears perked. His tail swishing languidly from one side to the other. Purring and kneading his tiny paws into Louis’ flesh. Feeling safe and secure in his new home. His blood would taste like honey, rich and smooth. Like liquid moonlight, exquisite and divine. Where are you, Lestat? Why aren’t you stopping this?

Louis balled his hands into fists. He could do it. He could control his hunger, his lust for the life of this little creature. He would do it. He pressed his eyes shut, tried to ignore the pain, the excruciating pull that coursed through his body, the enticing thrum of the little heart, the scent that seemed to fill every pore of his body.

His hands shot out in a flash and grabbed the little kitten. No time to even flinch as his teeth rapidly sank through soft fur into soft skin. As a gush of hot blood spilled into Louis’ mouth and the first drops ran down his throat, a low, drawn-out moan escaped Louis’ lips. It was even better than he had imagined. Precious and unique, the elixir of life, spreading to each cell in his body. He was only dimly aware of the cat’s flailing limbs as he sank his teeth deeper and deeper into its flesh, the little whimpers and the pulse that grew weaker and weaker with each heartbeat.

There was a new, searing pain that shot up his arm right to his heart and a soft touch on his cheek that made him jerk around and backwards as he looked straight into Lestat’s face. Lestat…

“Louis? What’s happened?”

Shame and guilt flooded Louis’ body, following the path of the cat’s – of Barney’s – blood. Tears shot into his eyes and streamed down his face.

“Lou? What have you done?” Lestat’s voice was soft and full of concern. I’m sorry, my love, I’m so sorry… I tried… I really tried… but I failed…

Lestat reached out and took hold of Louis’ wrist which was covered in blood, to Louis’ horror. Lestat examined it, then bit his tongue and licked across Louis’ skin, instantly healing the puncture wounds. The searing pain dulled, and what remained was a feeling of emptiness and nausea.

“What have you done to yourself, Lou?” Lestat still held Louis’ wrist in his hand and rubbed soothing circles into his flesh. Louis couldn’t make sense of what had happened when a pair of pointed ears appeared on Lestat’s shoulder, followed by two impossibly large, yellow eyes which glowed eerily in the dark. Barney. Unharmed. Alive and well. Louis recoiled from the sight as if he’d been lashed with a whip. He looked down at his hands, the hands that had just grabbed the kitten and pressed it against his face. His empty hands. His bloodied, empty hands.

Lestat leaned forward to cup Louis’ face with one hand and wiped the blood away with his thumb. The blood that Louis could feel sticking to his mouth and chin. Lestat drew him a little closer and kissed him gently.

“You had a nightmare, mon cher. Time to go hunting?”