[000] the devil in disguise

                                                                       The year is 1872 when Juliette LaCroix meets Lestat de Lioncourt.

                                                                        She had been the pride and joy of her parents, Arnold and Vivienne LaCroix, and as a result, she had been absolutely spoiled rotten. Whatever Juliette wanted, she got it without so much of a second thought. But despite all of that, she wasn't mean or cruel. Sure, Juliette was definitely guilty of being very self centered as well as vain. Juliette was more than aware of her beauty and the effect she seemed to have on both sexes, and... Juliette enjoyed both beautiful things and beautiful people as well. Coming from a wealthy family only increased her appetite for expensive, pretty things.

                                                                         But in the summer of 1872, everything changed for Juliette when she encountered the most beautiful man of her life.

                                                                         He was tall and handsome, and he had such a lovely way with words. Juliette was instantly swept off of her feet, falling for his spell in an instant. They'd go out on exciting and lavish dates and Lestat managed to show Juliette a world she never thought was possible. Juliette thought that it was a bit strange that she'd only ever be able to see him at night. But nevertheless, the two kept each other company during the enchanting, humid nights and Juliette fall in love with him. Perhaps a little too quickly.

                                                                         Juliette breaks the rules and decides to sleep with Lestat. Several times, in fact. But each and every time, Juliette felt... strange. She'd feel drained for some reason, but Juliette just figured she was tired. She was losing sleep after all, spending all her nights with Lestat and only sleeping a couple of hours within the day. Nevertheless, Juliette loved Lestat so much that she wanted to show him to her family and show just how happy she was.

                                                                          But her parents didn't like Lestat whatsoever. In fact, the moment they met Lestat for dinner, they could sense that something was wrong with him. Something dark. They'd warn Juliette to leave while she still had her heart intact and to beware of charming men with wicked intentions. But Juliette ignored all of their warnings and stuck up for Lestat, despite not knowing them nearly as well as she thought she had.

                                                                        "I don't care what you say! I love him! I love him so much! If you won't support us, I guess this means I won't be able to stay here anymore. I'll leave with him and we'll be happy together, you'll see!" Juliette declared.

                                                                          Her parents had cried and pleaded for her to stay but Juliette had made her choice, holding onto Lestat's hand as she went off into the night with a smirking Lestat.

                                                                           Now, it wasn't to say that Lestat didn't love Juliette. He loved her as much as he could, enjoying how beautiful and radiant and full of life she was. It had been a long time since Lestat had met anyone as lively as Juliette. That was why he had decided to give Juliette the dark gift in the first place, a chance for her to join him and they could be together forever. It was all supposed to be perfect. Two people who just wanted to be admired and loved could spend an eternity loving each other.

                                                                          And so, Lestat told her everything. He told her the real reason as to why he couldn't go out during the day, and how he needed blood to live. He was a vampire, a creature of the night. And then he'd offer her the dark gift so they could truly be together forever. For two people desiring to be loved and admired, it seemed absolutely perfect... right?

                                                                         As much as Juliette loved him, she found herself overwhelmed and horrified by the information. Her parents had been right about Lestat all along - he was nothing more than a charming monster.

                                                                       "I - I can't do this," Juliette shakes her head, backing away from Lestat. Although they were inside of his home - a place she had been inside of countless times before, the walls felt like they were closing in on her. The home she once thought she'd spend the rest of her life in now felt like an absolute trap. "I can't become a... a vampire. I need to go."

                                                                        But just as Juliette tried to escape and make it to the front door, Lestat suddenly appeared in front of her. He appeared out of nowhere and grabbed a hold of her, almost looking desperate now.

                                                                       "Don't you love me, Juliette? Don't you want to be with me forever?" Lestat questioned.

                                                                      "I do love you so much. But I want to live, Lestat! I don't want to die," Juliette persisted.

                                                                      "So what? Does this mean you're going to leave me?" Lestat demanded, his bright blue eyes seemingly staring right into Juliette's soul.

                                                                      "I won't tell anyone your secret. I promise," Juliette assured him. But that was the last thing Lestat cared about.

                                                                      "I know you won't. You just have to let me finish the job and then you can turn. It won't hurt, I promise," Lestat tried to assure. 

                                                                      "Finish the...? What are you talking about?" Juliette furrowed her brows, confused as to what he meant by that.

                                                                      "I do apologize. I couldn't resist a little taste," Lestat continued, his fingers now brushing against her neck. 

                                                                        Juliette touches her neck and that's when she feels marks on her skin. Juliette had never felt it before. But then again, she never thought to. Usually adorned with pearl necklaces and jewelry, Juliette never properly noticed the mark. And as she makes her way over to the nearby mirror, she sees the mark and gasps out of both shock and horror.

                                                                       "You bit me?!" Juliette exclaimed as she turned to glare at him. "You... fed on me without my permission?"

                                                                       "Don't be upset with me, mon cher. I couldn't help myself. You're just as sweet as you taste," Lestat tries to comfort Juliette, caressing her cheek. But Juliette pushes him away... or rather, she tries to.

                                                                         Thinking back to how drained and exhausted she'd feel after nights with Lestat, now it all made sense. Murky memories that she thought had been lost to her mind suddenly came back. Lestat held onto Juliette, determined to not let her go as she kept on trying to fight her hold.

                                                                       "Let go of me! Please!" Juliette pleaded.

                                                                       "Don't fight it. Just relax, mon cher. It'll be all over soon," Lestat assures her.

                                                                         Lestat kisses her and Juliette slowly grows weak, melting into his touch. And then before she even had time to realize it, Lestat sunk his teeth into her neck. She feels a pinch of pain, gasping, before she succumbs to the darkness and the world around her turns completely black.

                                                                          By all technicalities, Juliette is dead. She dies the moment that Lestat drains her body of blood completely. Juliette isn't sure how long she's dead for, time seeming to stay still for an eternity. But when Juliette wakes up, she's still in Lestat's home with blood on her ips. His blood on her lips. Thinking he had failed in creating a new companion, Lestat abandoned Juliette and decided to move on before his failure came back to bite him... metaphorically speaking.

                                                                         If only he had waited just a little longer, he would've seen that Juliette would eventually wake up. But she was no longer the same Juliette she had been - lovely, beautiful, sweet. She was heartbroken and angry... no, furious was the better word. She was furious that her right to choose between life and death had been stolen from her. And she was even more furious that the man - the monster - who had caused this abandoned her with no other choice but to fend for herself.

                                                                          On that night, Juliette LaCroix vowed to find Lestat de Lioncourt and kill him for what he had done to her. And although it'd take a couple decades, Juliette would eventually find him in New Orleans. And that... was where this story would properly begin.

( 🩸💎👱🏻‍♀️)

word count: 1401
notes: sorry this took a while but here's the prologue! lestat ain't shit but i think we all figured that lmao. anywho the first chapter should be up very soon!