JК
Guilty Pleasures :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 33 из 205” I risked a glance intoher eyes. They were black and widened in surprise when I looked at them. “You are very old, and very good, but you are not old enough or strong enough to be Aubrey's master.”
Jean-Claude said, “I told you she would see through it.”
“Silence!”
“The game is over, Theresa. She knows.”
“Only because you have told her.”
“Tell them how you knew, Anita.”
I shrugged. “She feels wrong. She just isn't old enough. There is more of a sense of power from Aubrey than from her. That isn't right.”
“Do you still insist on speaking with our master?” the woman asked.
“I still want guarantees on my friend's safety.” I glanced through the room, at each of them. “And I am getting tired of stupid little games.”
Aubrey was suddenly moving towards me. The world slowed. There was no time for fear. I tried to back away, knowing there was nowhere to go.
Jean-Claude rushed him, hands reaching. He wouldn't make it in time.
Aubrey's hand came out of nowhere and caught me in the shoulder. The blow knocked all the air from my body and sent me flying backwards. My back slammed into the wall. My head hit a moment later, hard. The world went grey. I slid down the wall. I couldn't breathe. Tiny white shapes danced over the greyness. The world began to go black. I slid to the floor. It didn't hurt; nothing hurt. I struggled to breathe until my chest burned, and darkness took everything away.
9
Voices floated through the darkness. Dreams. “We shouldn't have moved her.”
“Did you want to disobey Nikolaos?”
“I helped bring her here, did I not?” It was a man's voice.
“Yes,” a woman said.
I lay there with my eyes closed. I wasn't dreaming. I remembered Aubrey's hand coming from nowhere. It had been an open backhand slap. If he had closed his fist … but he hadn't. I was alive.
“Anita, are you awake?”
I opened my eyes. Light speared into my head. I closed my eyes against the light and the pain, but the pain stayed. I turned my head, and that was a mistake. The pain was a nauseating ache. It felt like the bones in my head were trying to slide off. I raised hands to cover my eyes and groaned.
“Anita, are you all right?”
Why do people always ask you that when the answer is obviously no? I spoke in a whisper, not sure how it would feel to talk. It didn't feel too bad. “Just peachy keen.”
“What?” This from the woman.
Jean-Claude said, “I told you she would see through it.”
“Silence!”
“The game is over, Theresa. She knows.”
“Only because you have told her.”
“Tell them how you knew, Anita.”
I shrugged. “She feels wrong. She just isn't old enough. There is more of a sense of power from Aubrey than from her. That isn't right.”
“Do you still insist on speaking with our master?” the woman asked.
“I still want guarantees on my friend's safety.” I glanced through the room, at each of them. “And I am getting tired of stupid little games.”
Aubrey was suddenly moving towards me. The world slowed. There was no time for fear. I tried to back away, knowing there was nowhere to go.
Jean-Claude rushed him, hands reaching. He wouldn't make it in time.
Aubrey's hand came out of nowhere and caught me in the shoulder. The blow knocked all the air from my body and sent me flying backwards. My back slammed into the wall. My head hit a moment later, hard. The world went grey. I slid down the wall. I couldn't breathe. Tiny white shapes danced over the greyness. The world began to go black. I slid to the floor. It didn't hurt; nothing hurt. I struggled to breathe until my chest burned, and darkness took everything away.
9
Voices floated through the darkness. Dreams. “We shouldn't have moved her.”
“Did you want to disobey Nikolaos?”
“I helped bring her here, did I not?” It was a man's voice.
“Yes,” a woman said.
I lay there with my eyes closed. I wasn't dreaming. I remembered Aubrey's hand coming from nowhere. It had been an open backhand slap. If he had closed his fist … but he hadn't. I was alive.
“Anita, are you awake?”
I opened my eyes. Light speared into my head. I closed my eyes against the light and the pain, but the pain stayed. I turned my head, and that was a mistake. The pain was a nauseating ache. It felt like the bones in my head were trying to slide off. I raised hands to cover my eyes and groaned.
“Anita, are you all right?”
Why do people always ask you that when the answer is obviously no? I spoke in a whisper, not sure how it would feel to talk. It didn't feel too bad. “Just peachy keen.”
“What?” This from the woman.