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A Lick Of Frost :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 114 из 184For love makes us allbeautiful.
"The look on your face, Meredith, as you gaze upon him, what are you thinking?"
"Love, Aunt Andais, I am thinking of love."
She made a disgusted sound. "Know this, niece of mine. If the Killing Frost is not your king, I will have him back, and I will see if he is as good as he looks."
"He was your lover once, hundreds of years ago."
"I remember," she said, but not like it made her happy.
I didn't understand the look on her face, or the tone of her voice. I didn't truly understand why she had been so determined to catch me with Rhys — or, was she eager to catch me without him? Was she looking for an excuse to order Rhys back to faerie? If yes, then why? She had never treated him as one of her favorites, not in the memory of anyone I knew.
"I see fear in your eyes, my Killing Frost," she said.
My arms tightened around him. I couldn't help it. "Would you protect him from me, Meredith?"
"I would protect all my people from harm."
"But this one is special to you, isn't he?"
"Yes," I said, because anything else would be a lie.
"Frost, look at me." She ordered it.
He raised his eyes to her.
"Are you afraid of me, Frost?"
He swallowed hard enough that it sounded painful, and said in a voice gone rough, "Yes, my queen, I fear you."
"You love Meredith, don't you?"
He answered, "Yes, my queen."
"He loves you, niece, but he fears me. I think you will discover that fear is a more potent threat than love."
"I don't want to threaten him."
"One day you will. One day you will find that all the love in faerie is not enough to keep the man you love obedient. You will want fear on your side, and you are too soft to wield it."
"I am not frightening. I know that, Aunt Andais."
"I look at you and I see the future of my court and I despair."
"If love is the future of our court, Aunt Andais, then I am hopeful."
She looked once more at Frost, as if he was something to eat and she was starving. "I hate you, Meredith. I truly do."
I fought not to say what I was thinking, but she said, "Your face betrays you. Say what is in your mind, niece. I hate you, Meredith. What does that make you want to say to me?"
"I hate you, too."
Andais smiled like she meant it. The bed behind her had been stripped down to its bare essentials. Apparently Crystall's torture had produced too much blood even for her to sleep in. "I think I will have Mistral tonight, Meredith.
"The look on your face, Meredith, as you gaze upon him, what are you thinking?"
"Love, Aunt Andais, I am thinking of love."
She made a disgusted sound. "Know this, niece of mine. If the Killing Frost is not your king, I will have him back, and I will see if he is as good as he looks."
"He was your lover once, hundreds of years ago."
"I remember," she said, but not like it made her happy.
I didn't understand the look on her face, or the tone of her voice. I didn't truly understand why she had been so determined to catch me with Rhys — or, was she eager to catch me without him? Was she looking for an excuse to order Rhys back to faerie? If yes, then why? She had never treated him as one of her favorites, not in the memory of anyone I knew.
"I see fear in your eyes, my Killing Frost," she said.
My arms tightened around him. I couldn't help it. "Would you protect him from me, Meredith?"
"I would protect all my people from harm."
"But this one is special to you, isn't he?"
"Yes," I said, because anything else would be a lie.
"Frost, look at me." She ordered it.
He raised his eyes to her.
"Are you afraid of me, Frost?"
He swallowed hard enough that it sounded painful, and said in a voice gone rough, "Yes, my queen, I fear you."
"You love Meredith, don't you?"
He answered, "Yes, my queen."
"He loves you, niece, but he fears me. I think you will discover that fear is a more potent threat than love."
"I don't want to threaten him."
"One day you will. One day you will find that all the love in faerie is not enough to keep the man you love obedient. You will want fear on your side, and you are too soft to wield it."
"I am not frightening. I know that, Aunt Andais."
"I look at you and I see the future of my court and I despair."
"If love is the future of our court, Aunt Andais, then I am hopeful."
She looked once more at Frost, as if he was something to eat and she was starving. "I hate you, Meredith. I truly do."
I fought not to say what I was thinking, but she said, "Your face betrays you. Say what is in your mind, niece. I hate you, Meredith. What does that make you want to say to me?"
"I hate you, too."
Andais smiled like she meant it. The bed behind her had been stripped down to its bare essentials. Apparently Crystall's torture had produced too much blood even for her to sleep in. "I think I will have Mistral tonight, Meredith.