Lestat, I love you!

The exit of the tunnel was a stone cave at the bottom of the hill, and Alice looked back as they emerged, the fortress complex some distance away.

Alice was being led by Lestat, the two of them walking one behind the other in the bright starlight, the blurred shadows on the ground drifting.

Even though she knew she was on the run, she felt like she was eating honey when she looked at the generous, reliable back in front of her, and she felt happy to walk like this for the rest of her life.

The clasped hands were tightly intertwined, the large dry hand embracing her small one, so tight that there was not a single gap.

After walking a little longer, as if he thought this was too slow, Lestat suddenly turned around, bent down and plunged his hand into the crook of Alice's knee as she looked at him in disbelief, and picked her up with one force.

"Lestat ..." Alice said in surprise.

Lestat flew up on his feet and simply said, "This is fast."