JК
Guilty Pleasures :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 126 из 205You seem to be having a fullnight.”
Nikolaos was standing in the shadows of the trees. Willie McCoy was with her, a little to one side, not quite beside her, like a bodyguard or a servant. I was betting on servant.
“You seem agitated. What ever is the matter?” Her voice rose in a lilting sing-song. The dangerous little girl had returned.
“Zachary raised the zombie. You can't use that as an excuse to kill him.” I laughed then, and it sounded abrupt and harsh even to me. He was already dead. I didn't think she knew. She couldn't read minds, only force the truth from them. I bet Nikolaos had never thought to ask, “Are you alive, Zachary, or a walking corpse?” I laughed and couldn't seem to stop.
“Anita, you all right?” Willie's voice was like his voice had always been.
I nodded, trying to catch my breath. “I'm fine.”
“I do not see the humor in the situation, animator.” The child voice was slipping, like a mask sliding down. “You helped Zachary raise the zombie.” She made it sound like an accusation.
“Yes.”
I heard movement over the grass. Willie's footsteps, and nothing else. I glanced up and saw Nikolaos moving towards me, noiseless as a cat. She was smiling, a cute, harmless, model, beautiful child. No. Her face was a little long. The perfect child bride wasn't perfect anymore. The closer she came, the more flaws.
I could pick out. Was I seeing her the way she really looked? Was I?
“You are staring at me, animator.” She laughed, high and wild, wind chimes in a storm. “As if you'd seen a ghost.” She knelt, smoothing her slacks over her knees, as if they were a skirt. “Have you seen a ghost, animator? Have you seen something that frightened you? Or is it something else?” Her face was only an arm's length away.
I was holding my breath, fingers digging into the ground. Fear washed over me like a cool second skin. The face was so pleasant, smiling, encouraging. She really needed a dimple to go with it all. My voice was hoarse, and I had to cough to clear it. “I raised the zombie. I don't want it hurt.”
“But it is only a zombie, animator. They have no real minds.”
I just stared at that thin, pleasant face, afraid to look away from her, afraid to look at her. My chest was tight with the urge to run. “It was a human being. I don't want it tortured.”
“They won't hurt it much. My little vampires will be disappointed. The dead cannot feed off the dead.”
“Ghouls can. They feed off the dead.
Nikolaos was standing in the shadows of the trees. Willie McCoy was with her, a little to one side, not quite beside her, like a bodyguard or a servant. I was betting on servant.
“You seem agitated. What ever is the matter?” Her voice rose in a lilting sing-song. The dangerous little girl had returned.
“Zachary raised the zombie. You can't use that as an excuse to kill him.” I laughed then, and it sounded abrupt and harsh even to me. He was already dead. I didn't think she knew. She couldn't read minds, only force the truth from them. I bet Nikolaos had never thought to ask, “Are you alive, Zachary, or a walking corpse?” I laughed and couldn't seem to stop.
“Anita, you all right?” Willie's voice was like his voice had always been.
I nodded, trying to catch my breath. “I'm fine.”
“I do not see the humor in the situation, animator.” The child voice was slipping, like a mask sliding down. “You helped Zachary raise the zombie.” She made it sound like an accusation.
“Yes.”
I heard movement over the grass. Willie's footsteps, and nothing else. I glanced up and saw Nikolaos moving towards me, noiseless as a cat. She was smiling, a cute, harmless, model, beautiful child. No. Her face was a little long. The perfect child bride wasn't perfect anymore. The closer she came, the more flaws.
I could pick out. Was I seeing her the way she really looked? Was I?
“You are staring at me, animator.” She laughed, high and wild, wind chimes in a storm. “As if you'd seen a ghost.” She knelt, smoothing her slacks over her knees, as if they were a skirt. “Have you seen a ghost, animator? Have you seen something that frightened you? Or is it something else?” Her face was only an arm's length away.
I was holding my breath, fingers digging into the ground. Fear washed over me like a cool second skin. The face was so pleasant, smiling, encouraging. She really needed a dimple to go with it all. My voice was hoarse, and I had to cough to clear it. “I raised the zombie. I don't want it hurt.”
“But it is only a zombie, animator. They have no real minds.”
I just stared at that thin, pleasant face, afraid to look away from her, afraid to look at her. My chest was tight with the urge to run. “It was a human being. I don't want it tortured.”
“They won't hurt it much. My little vampires will be disappointed. The dead cannot feed off the dead.”
“Ghouls can. They feed off the dead.