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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 33 из 236But I would have been lying. He did have to do this. If something wasn't done, Rhys would lose his temper once too often and Kitto would get hurt, or worse. We couldn't risk the treaty. And Kitto was mine to take care of. I wasn't sure where my duties would lie if Rhys killed him in a fit of panic. I didn't want to have to order an execution of someone I'd known all my life.
I wanted to reassure Rhys, tell him it was all right, but I didn't want to appear weak, either. So I sat there with a very tense Kitto curled tight in my lap, and said nothing.
"I've always left the room when you deal with … it, him," Rhys said, "What happens now?"
I'd had enough, and I suddenly didn't feel sorry for Rhys. I looked down at Kitto. "I offer you small flesh or weak blood." Small flesh was goblin slang for light foreplay. Weak blood meant barely breaking the skin, or even just raising welts. There was every possibility that Kitto would choose something I wouldn't need any distraction for. I'd slowly been teaching Kitto new definitions of petting and foreplay, definitions that were a lot less stressful to all concerned.
He looked down, not meeting anyone's eyes, and whispered, "Small flesh."
"Done," I said.
Rhys frowned. "What just happened?"
I looked up at him. "You always negotiate with goblins before sex, Rhys. If you don't, you end up hurt."
He frowned down at me. "I was a prisoner for a night. I had no ability to negotiate."
I sighed, and shook my head. Most sidhe, Seelie or Unseelie, knew very little about cultures outside their own. It was a type of prejudice that believed nothing but sidhe culture was worth knowing. "Actually, according to goblin law, you did. If they'd tortured you, then, no, you'd have simply had to endure what they did to you, though truthfully there is some room for negotiation even in torture. For sex, though, you always have room to negotiate. It's custom among them."
The frown deepened. That single eye was so confused, so pain-filled. I spilled the small goblin to his feet and stood in front of Rhys, putting Kitto almost between us. For once Rhys didn't seem to notice how close the goblin was to him.
"The goblins will rape, and there's no saving yourself from it, but you can dictate terms, things that can be done and cannot be done."
His hand rose slowly toward his scars, then stopped before he touched them, his hand just hanging in midair. "You mean. ." And he left the rest of the sentence unfinished.
"That you could have forbidden them from permanently disfiguring you, yes.
I wanted to reassure Rhys, tell him it was all right, but I didn't want to appear weak, either. So I sat there with a very tense Kitto curled tight in my lap, and said nothing.
"I've always left the room when you deal with … it, him," Rhys said, "What happens now?"
I'd had enough, and I suddenly didn't feel sorry for Rhys. I looked down at Kitto. "I offer you small flesh or weak blood." Small flesh was goblin slang for light foreplay. Weak blood meant barely breaking the skin, or even just raising welts. There was every possibility that Kitto would choose something I wouldn't need any distraction for. I'd slowly been teaching Kitto new definitions of petting and foreplay, definitions that were a lot less stressful to all concerned.
He looked down, not meeting anyone's eyes, and whispered, "Small flesh."
"Done," I said.
Rhys frowned. "What just happened?"
I looked up at him. "You always negotiate with goblins before sex, Rhys. If you don't, you end up hurt."
He frowned down at me. "I was a prisoner for a night. I had no ability to negotiate."
I sighed, and shook my head. Most sidhe, Seelie or Unseelie, knew very little about cultures outside their own. It was a type of prejudice that believed nothing but sidhe culture was worth knowing. "Actually, according to goblin law, you did. If they'd tortured you, then, no, you'd have simply had to endure what they did to you, though truthfully there is some room for negotiation even in torture. For sex, though, you always have room to negotiate. It's custom among them."
The frown deepened. That single eye was so confused, so pain-filled. I spilled the small goblin to his feet and stood in front of Rhys, putting Kitto almost between us. For once Rhys didn't seem to notice how close the goblin was to him.
"The goblins will rape, and there's no saving yourself from it, but you can dictate terms, things that can be done and cannot be done."
His hand rose slowly toward his scars, then stopped before he touched them, his hand just hanging in midair. "You mean. ." And he left the rest of the sentence unfinished.
"That you could have forbidden them from permanently disfiguring you, yes.