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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 51 из 236"If this is how he really feels about the fey, then I think he would be more comfortable working elsewhere."
Ethan walked around the couch, too. "I have no problem with you, Ms. Reed. You're Seelie Court, the Bringers of Beauty and Wishes." He pointed at us a little dramatically, I thought. "They are the stuff of nightmares and should not be allowed in this house. They are a danger to you and to everyone around them."
"How much business are you losing to us?" I asked, and for some reason my voice carried into the sudden silence.
Ethan turned on me, probably to say something else unfortunate. Julian grabbed his arm; it looked like a firm grip from where I was sitting. Ethan's body reacted as if he'd been hit, and for a second, I thought we'd get to see a fight.
"Just go, Ethan," Julian said, voice low.
Ethan yanked free of Julian. He gave a stiff little bow to Ms. Reed. "I'll go. But I just want you to understand that I know the Seelie are different from what the Unseelie are."
"I have not set foot in the Seelie Court for over a century, Mr. Kane. I will never be a member of it again."
Ethan frowned; I think he'd thought Ms. Reed would agree with him. Normally, he was sullen and unpleasant, but not to this degree. We must have really been cutting into their business.
Ethan fumbled over some more apologies, then stomped out. After the door slammed behind us, I said, "Is he like that often?"
Julian shrugged. "Ethan isn't fond of a lot of people."
"I'm feeling terribly neglected here, Julian, with Ethan gone and all," Maeve said.
I blinked at her smiling, carefully beautiful face. She looked so sincere, even her blue-blue eyes sparkled with the force of it. She was working just a little hard at being charming, and human. It would have been a whole lot easier to be charming if she'd dropped the glamour she was wasting in order to appear humanly — rather than inhumanly — beautiful.
Julian glanced at me, then turned his full smiling self on Maeve Reed. In his own way Julian was turning on the charm, too. I realized with a start that he had his own personal glamour. It might have been actual conscious magic, but I doubted it. Most personal glamour that bolsters charisma is accidental for humans. Most of the time.
I watched them doing a minor job of shining at each other, and realized that the charm wasn't for our benefit. I glanced behind me at Frank. He was staring at her as if he'd never really seen a woman before, or at least not one like this.
Ethan walked around the couch, too. "I have no problem with you, Ms. Reed. You're Seelie Court, the Bringers of Beauty and Wishes." He pointed at us a little dramatically, I thought. "They are the stuff of nightmares and should not be allowed in this house. They are a danger to you and to everyone around them."
"How much business are you losing to us?" I asked, and for some reason my voice carried into the sudden silence.
Ethan turned on me, probably to say something else unfortunate. Julian grabbed his arm; it looked like a firm grip from where I was sitting. Ethan's body reacted as if he'd been hit, and for a second, I thought we'd get to see a fight.
"Just go, Ethan," Julian said, voice low.
Ethan yanked free of Julian. He gave a stiff little bow to Ms. Reed. "I'll go. But I just want you to understand that I know the Seelie are different from what the Unseelie are."
"I have not set foot in the Seelie Court for over a century, Mr. Kane. I will never be a member of it again."
Ethan frowned; I think he'd thought Ms. Reed would agree with him. Normally, he was sullen and unpleasant, but not to this degree. We must have really been cutting into their business.
Ethan fumbled over some more apologies, then stomped out. After the door slammed behind us, I said, "Is he like that often?"
Julian shrugged. "Ethan isn't fond of a lot of people."
"I'm feeling terribly neglected here, Julian, with Ethan gone and all," Maeve said.
I blinked at her smiling, carefully beautiful face. She looked so sincere, even her blue-blue eyes sparkled with the force of it. She was working just a little hard at being charming, and human. It would have been a whole lot easier to be charming if she'd dropped the glamour she was wasting in order to appear humanly — rather than inhumanly — beautiful.
Julian glanced at me, then turned his full smiling self on Maeve Reed. In his own way Julian was turning on the charm, too. I realized with a start that he had his own personal glamour. It might have been actual conscious magic, but I doubted it. Most personal glamour that bolsters charisma is accidental for humans. Most of the time.
I watched them doing a minor job of shining at each other, and realized that the charm wasn't for our benefit. I glanced behind me at Frank. He was staring at her as if he'd never really seen a woman before, or at least not one like this.