Chapter 45

Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Lestat told Oliver about how he met Aurora and what happened inexplicably.
It turned out that when Lestat had just finished peeing and was about to go back, Aurora suddenly appeared from behind him and complained to him that the road Isabella chose was too difficult to walk. She said her boots were hurting, and that she hadn’t rested properly since morning. Lestat didn’t think much of it. They were all tired. He offered to wait with her for a while. The others were far ahead anyway.
The two of them sat down beside a cluster of rocks, not talking much at first. The silence was broken only by the wind and the distant calls of the group echoing down the canyon. Aurora didn’t seem in a hurry to catch up with the others.
Then she started talking. Her voice was calm, almost too calm.
She told Lestat that she hated James. Not disliked—hated. Her tone sharpened when she spoke his name, like it physically pained her to say it.
Lestat turned to her, surprised. He asked why. He knew there had been tension between them, but he didn’t expect what came next.
Aurora said James had tried to rape her. Her words were blunt, without any buildup. She looked Lestat right in the eye and told him that on the night of the celebration, when they had all been drinking and laughing, James had cornered her. She said he forced himself on her, and when she pushed him away, he acted like nothing happened. Pretended it was all in her head.
“He made me look like the villain,” she said bitterly, picking at the seam of her glove. “I should have told someone right away. But what would’ve been the point? Everyone loves him.”
Lestat didn’t know what to say at first. He just stared at her, trying to process her words. The James he knew could be brash, yes, and reckless—but this? It didn’t make sense. Still, Aurora’s voice didn’t shake. Her eyes didn’t wander. She looked completely sure of what she was saying.
Lestat always hated James, but it wasn’t just because of his attitude or how brash he could be. Deep down, Lestat was jealous, jealous because James occupied Nova’s attention. No matter how hard Lestat tried, Nova’s heart seemed tied to James in ways he couldn’t reach. That jealousy had been simmering inside him for a long time, coloring his feelings and actions. But despite all that, he didn’t intend to dive deeper into this with Aurora. This wasn’t about him. At least, he told himself that.
Aurora, however, didn’t stop talking. She shifted the conversation toward the werewolves, her voice growing colder with every word. She spoke about their cruelty, the harsh history between the werewolf clans and the vampire kingdom. She recounted old grudges, battles fought in darkness, and the many wounds left behind. She described the atrocities she claimed the werewolves had committed, raids, betrayals, and acts that had scarred the vampire people for centuries.
Lestat listened, but as she went on, a flicker of annoyance began to rise in him. He had heard similar stories before, enough to last a lifetime. The endless blame, the bitterness replayed like a broken record. It all felt exhausting, like dragging up old wounds that never truly healed. He shifted on the rocks, his patience thinning. Aurora’s words were sharp, but they seemed more focused on stirring hatred than finding any kind of understanding.
Still, he kept quiet, letting her talk while his mind drifted elsewhere.
He knew that vampires and werewolves had always been fierce enemies, locked in a bitter struggle that had lasted for centuries. Their hatred was legendary, marked by countless battles and deep-seated distrust. But now, despite all that history, there seemed to be a tentative peace between them—something fragile and uneasy, held together by necessity rather than trust. It was a subject too dangerous to explore in detail, because digging too deep would only open old wounds and stir up more hatred that had barely begun to fade.
Lestat understood that discussing the past would only bring tension, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Still, the tension between their races hung in the air like a storm waiting to break. The old stories of cruelty and violence were always just below the surface, ready to flare up at any moment.
Then, as Aurora’s eyes met his, something strange happened. A sudden dizziness swept over him, sharp and disorienting. His vision blurred, and he felt his balance falter as if the ground beneath him had shifted. The sensation was sudden and intense, catching him completely off guard.
In that fleeting moment of weakness, Lestat sensed something was wrong. He realized that Aurora might be using some kind of magic, a subtle enchantment designed to confuse or cloud the minds of others, especially vampires like himself, who were known for their resistance but still vulnerable to certain kinds of spells. It wasn’t uncommon in their world for individuals to have such tricks, a way to gain the upper hand when words or strength alone wouldn’t do.
But Lestat was proud of one thing: despite his reputation as a charming playboy, he had never stooped to using magic to manipulate the women he desired. To him, it was a matter of honor, or at least his version of it. He believed in winning over others with wit and presence, not with illusions or enchantments. That line was one he refused to cross, no matter the situation.
When Lestat realized that Aurora could also use psychedelics, a chill ran down his spine. Her spells weren’t just subtle tricks — they were powerful, far stronger than anything he usually encountered. Suddenly, he found himself unable to resist, his mind clouded and confused. The usual sharpness he relied on to see through illusions faded away, and he was left vulnerable, completely at Aurora’s mercy. She moved with ease, guiding the moment exactly as she wanted, and Lestat had no choice but to let it happen.
This made him question everything he thought he knew about her. Who was Aurora, really? What was she hiding beneath that calm and composed exterior? The doubts gnawed at him, and for the first time, Lestat wasn’t sure if he was dealing with a friend or something far more dangerous.
Meanwhile, James’s impulsiveness was becoming a serious problem. He’d acted without thinking, and now tensions were rising, threatening to tear the group apart. Oliver, watching all this unfold, knew they needed a better plan. He decided to bring Lestat into his thoughts and together, they would approach Isabella. If anyone could unravel the mystery of Aurora and figure out what was really going on, it was her.
Oliver planned to share his suspicions with Isabella carefully, hoping she could see through the layers of deception and find a way to handle the situation before it spiraled fu
rther out of control.