A Lick Of Frost   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

Here, in the flesh, was the man who had nearly overwhelmed me numerous times from a distance with his compulsion magic. Now I was here alone, and he did nothing but frighten me.

"I am offering you everything your mother always wanted from me. I will make you queen of the Seelie Court. You will be in my bed and in my heart."

"I am not my mother. Her dreams are not mine."

"We will have a beautiful child." Again he tried to kiss me.

I sat up, and the world ran in streamers of color. Nausea made me gag. Gagging made the headache worse. I leaned off the side of the bed and was sick. Throwing up made my head feel as if it would explode. I cried with the pain of it.

Taranis came to the side of the bed. Through the ruin of my sight, I saw him hesitate. I saw the revulsion on his handsome face. It was too messy for him, too real. There would be no help from him.

I had all the symptoms of a concussion. I had to get to a human hospital, or a true healer. I needed help. I lay on the edge of the bed, my uninjured cheek resting on the silk sheet. I lay there waiting for my head to stop throbbing in time to my pulse, praying that the nausea would pass. Lying very still made it better, but I was hurt. I was hurt and I was mortal, and I wasn't sure Taranis would understand that.

He didn't touch me. He reached for a bell rope. He called servants. Fine with me. They might be sane.

I heard voices. He said, "Bring the healer."

A woman's voice. "What is wrong with the princess?"

There was the sound of a hand hitting flesh. He roared at her, "Do as you are told, wench!"

There were no more questions, but I doubted that any of the servants would ask again what had happened to me. They would know all too well.

I think I passed out again, because the next thing I knew was a cool hand on my face. I looked carefully, moving only my eyes into the woman's face. I should have known her name, but I could not think of it. She was golden of hair with eyes that were rings of blue and gray. There was a gentle air to her, as if by simply being closer to her I felt a little better.

"Do you know your name?"

I had to swallow past the bitterness of bile, but finally whispered, "I am Princess Meredith NicEssus, wielder of the hands of flesh and blood."

She smiled. "Yes, you are."

Taranis's voice came from behind her. "Heal her!"

"I must first ascertain how badly injured she is."

"The Unseelie guard went mad. He tried to kill her rather than see her go with me. They would rather have her dead than lose her.