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A Lick Of Frost :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 30 из 184I almost fell to his power, andI am a princess of the Unseelie Court. You are human. If he truly wanted to bespell you, he could."
"That would be illegal," Shelby said.
"He is a king with the power of life and death in his hands," I said. "He doesn't think like a modern man, no matter how much he apes it for the press." I felt dizzy, and someone brought me a chair.
Doyle knelt beside me. "Are you unwell, Meredith?" he whispered.
Nelson asked, "Are you all right, Princess Meredith?"
"I'm tired, and scared," I said. "You have no idea what the last few days have been like, and I daren't tell you."
"Does it have anything to do with this case?" Cortez asked.
I looked up at him. "You mean the reason that I'm tired and scared?"
"Yes."
"No, it has nothing to do with these false accusations." I reached for Doyle's hand. "Make them understand that they must tread carefully with Taranis."
Doyle took my hand in his and said, "I will do my best, my princess."
I smiled up at him. "I know you will."
Frost came to the other side of me and touched my cheek. "You are pale. Even for one of us with moonlight skin, you are pale."
Abeloec came closer to me. "I had heard that the princess was human enough to catch colds. I thought it was a nasty rumor."
"You can't catch colds?" Nelson asked.
"They can't," I said, pressing my cheek against Frost's hand, and still holding on to Doyle. "But I can. I don't get them often, but I can get them." In my head I added, "the very first mortal faerie princess." It was one of the reasons for all the assassination attempts on the Unseelie Court. There were factions that believed that if I sat the throne I would contaminate all the immortals with the disease of mortality. I would bring death to them all. How do you argue against a rumor like that, when they can't even catch a cold? And I was about to talk to the most bright and shiny of them all, King Taranis, Lord of Light and Illusion. Goddess help me if he realized that I was coming down with some petty human illness. It would just confirm for him how weak I was, how human I was.
"It's almost time for the king to contact us," Veducci said, looking at his watch.
"If his time is running on schedule with ours," Cortez said.
Veducci nodded. "True, but may I suggest that we get some cold metal for the rest of you to carry?"
"Cold metal?" Nelson made it a question.
"I think some of the office supplies of this fine law firm might just help the rest of you have clear vision when we deal with King Taranis.
"That would be illegal," Shelby said.
"He is a king with the power of life and death in his hands," I said. "He doesn't think like a modern man, no matter how much he apes it for the press." I felt dizzy, and someone brought me a chair.
Doyle knelt beside me. "Are you unwell, Meredith?" he whispered.
Nelson asked, "Are you all right, Princess Meredith?"
"I'm tired, and scared," I said. "You have no idea what the last few days have been like, and I daren't tell you."
"Does it have anything to do with this case?" Cortez asked.
I looked up at him. "You mean the reason that I'm tired and scared?"
"Yes."
"No, it has nothing to do with these false accusations." I reached for Doyle's hand. "Make them understand that they must tread carefully with Taranis."
Doyle took my hand in his and said, "I will do my best, my princess."
I smiled up at him. "I know you will."
Frost came to the other side of me and touched my cheek. "You are pale. Even for one of us with moonlight skin, you are pale."
Abeloec came closer to me. "I had heard that the princess was human enough to catch colds. I thought it was a nasty rumor."
"You can't catch colds?" Nelson asked.
"They can't," I said, pressing my cheek against Frost's hand, and still holding on to Doyle. "But I can. I don't get them often, but I can get them." In my head I added, "the very first mortal faerie princess." It was one of the reasons for all the assassination attempts on the Unseelie Court. There were factions that believed that if I sat the throne I would contaminate all the immortals with the disease of mortality. I would bring death to them all. How do you argue against a rumor like that, when they can't even catch a cold? And I was about to talk to the most bright and shiny of them all, King Taranis, Lord of Light and Illusion. Goddess help me if he realized that I was coming down with some petty human illness. It would just confirm for him how weak I was, how human I was.
"It's almost time for the king to contact us," Veducci said, looking at his watch.
"If his time is running on schedule with ours," Cortez said.
Veducci nodded. "True, but may I suggest that we get some cold metal for the rest of you to carry?"
"Cold metal?" Nelson made it a question.
"I think some of the office supplies of this fine law firm might just help the rest of you have clear vision when we deal with King Taranis.