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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 195 из 236Noglamour either. I want to see those lightning-kissed eyes."
She opened her mouth — to protest, I think. I stopped it with a wave of my hand. "Save it, Maeve, and do what you need to do to help this work."
She pushed her sunglasses back over her eyes and said in a much smaller voice, "You've changed, Meredith. There's a hardness in you that wasn't there before."
"Not hardness," Doyle said, "command. She will be queen and she understands that now."
Maeve glanced from him to me. "Fine, what's with the bikini? I thought you were going to fuck, not go to the beach."
"I know you're angry and scared about your husband, and that cuts you some slack, but there's a limit to that slack, Maeve. Don't push it."
She lowered her head, still fingering the unlit cigarette and unused lighter. "I don't mean to be such a fucking prima donna, but I am desperately worried about Gordon. Can't you understand that?"
"I understand, but if I wasn't having to sit here and argue with you, I could already be at the ritual site preparing myself."
I turned my back very deliberately on her, hoping she'd take the hint. "Doyle, you've extended the wards to include the little garden area in the house behind us, as I requested?"
"Yes, Princess, I have."
I took a deep breath. Here was the moment that I had been dreading. I had to choose one of the men to act as my consort for the ritual, but who? I don't know what I would have decided, because Galen said, voice clear but uncertain, "I'm whole again, Merry."
Everyone but Maeve turned to stare at him. He looked a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny, but there was also a pleased smile on his face, and a look in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time.
"I don't mean to dampen the mood," Rhys said, "but how do we know he's cured? Maeve and Gordon may not get another shot at this."
Doyle interrupted. "If Galen says that he is healed enough for this ritual, I for one believe him."
I looked at Doyle. His face was its usual dark mask, unreadable. He rarely spoke unless he was certain of something.
"How can you be certain?" Frost asked.
"Meredith needs a consort to her goddess. Who better than the green man whose life has only recently returned to him?"
I knew that the green man was sometimes a nickname for the Goddess's Consort, sometimes a name for the generic forest god. I looked at Galen. He certainly was the green man.
"If Doyle thinks it's all right, then let it be Galen.
She opened her mouth — to protest, I think. I stopped it with a wave of my hand. "Save it, Maeve, and do what you need to do to help this work."
She pushed her sunglasses back over her eyes and said in a much smaller voice, "You've changed, Meredith. There's a hardness in you that wasn't there before."
"Not hardness," Doyle said, "command. She will be queen and she understands that now."
Maeve glanced from him to me. "Fine, what's with the bikini? I thought you were going to fuck, not go to the beach."
"I know you're angry and scared about your husband, and that cuts you some slack, but there's a limit to that slack, Maeve. Don't push it."
She lowered her head, still fingering the unlit cigarette and unused lighter. "I don't mean to be such a fucking prima donna, but I am desperately worried about Gordon. Can't you understand that?"
"I understand, but if I wasn't having to sit here and argue with you, I could already be at the ritual site preparing myself."
I turned my back very deliberately on her, hoping she'd take the hint. "Doyle, you've extended the wards to include the little garden area in the house behind us, as I requested?"
"Yes, Princess, I have."
I took a deep breath. Here was the moment that I had been dreading. I had to choose one of the men to act as my consort for the ritual, but who? I don't know what I would have decided, because Galen said, voice clear but uncertain, "I'm whole again, Merry."
Everyone but Maeve turned to stare at him. He looked a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny, but there was also a pleased smile on his face, and a look in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time.
"I don't mean to dampen the mood," Rhys said, "but how do we know he's cured? Maeve and Gordon may not get another shot at this."
Doyle interrupted. "If Galen says that he is healed enough for this ritual, I for one believe him."
I looked at Doyle. His face was its usual dark mask, unreadable. He rarely spoke unless he was certain of something.
"How can you be certain?" Frost asked.
"Meredith needs a consort to her goddess. Who better than the green man whose life has only recently returned to him?"
I knew that the green man was sometimes a nickname for the Goddess's Consort, sometimes a name for the generic forest god. I looked at Galen. He certainly was the green man.
"If Doyle thinks it's all right, then let it be Galen.