there was an excellent post once comparing claudia's attempt to kill lestat vs lestat's drive for patricide... (please link me if you have it saved) it said that of course lestat loved claudia, because they were so alike-

“"I mean I dream sometimes that I might kill all of them," I said. "I kill my brothers and my father in the dream. I go from room to room slaughtering them as I did the wolves. I feel in myself the desire to murder…” - lestat in vampire lestat

"the secret is, louis, that i want to kill him. i will enjoy it!" - claudia in iwtv

but i think what we're forgetting about is:

“‘I’ll care for the old man.’
‘Kill him,’ Lestat said.
 ‘Are you mad!’ I answered. ‘He’s your father!’
‘I know he’s my father!’ said Lestat. ‘That’s why you have to kill him. I can’t kill him! If I could, I would have done it a long time ago, damn him!” - louis & lestat in iwtv

which is not to say that i disagree... the opposite, really; i think lestat might love claudia even more knowing that she attempted what he could not. tangentially, i know this post is getting away from me, but i also think lestat loves louis so much for killing his [lestat's] father.