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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 166 из 293I wondered if he would have risked it if the man had still been shirtless. “We have a chance to break our long fast.”
“With the princess,” Aisling said.
Hawthorne nodded.
Aisling stepped away from Hawthorne’s hand and moved to me. It took a great deal for me not to flinch away from him. He knelt beside Galen and me.
“There will be no princess for me,” Aisling said. “She will not risk it now.” He looked down at me. “Will you, Princess?”
I didn’t know what to say because he was right. I did not want him touching me. I said the only thing I could think of: “I will not rule it out, but I fear you now, Aisling, where I didn’t before.”
“I’m missing something,” Polaski said.
“Be happy you missed it,” I said.
She walked toward me. “No, you’re hiding too many things from me, Princess. I need to know what is happening here, or you get nothing from me and my people.”
As she came to stand over us, she brushed against Aisling and started to fall. Galen and I reacted, knowing that Aisling must not touch her with his bare skin. I stood between them, pushing Aisling backwards. Galen came to his knees and caught Dr. Polaski before she could hit the floor.
The doctor was safe with Galen, but I was in Aisling’s arms, and I wasn’t safe at all.
CHAPTER 23
HE CAUGHT HIS BALANCE, AND ME, WITH HIS ARMS AND HIS BODY. Perhaps he stumbled more than he needed to, so he would be able to hold me tighter, but it wasn’t him that made my hand slip underneath his tunic to glide along bare skin. Fear choked me, ran along my skin so that it was like small electric shocks, tingling out to my fingertips. I saw Melangell’s face, her empty, bloody eyes, and waited for his magic to take me. I stared up into those odd eyes, with their inner knot, bound in four empty loops. There was no sign of the blue of his eyes. Something was missing.
I traced my hand up the curve of his spine, so warm, so firm, so real. He leaned over me, as if to kiss me through the gauze of his veil. I leaned back, his hands tightened around my body, holding me against him. If I had not seen him with Melangell I would have simply let him kiss me, but some things once known can never be unknown.
I smelled roses. I was suddenly drowning in the sweet, almost cloying scent of roses.
Aisling hesitated. “Do you smell that?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
A voice whispered through my head. “With Amatheon I bid you hurry, and you turned from haste, and chose the longer road. You risked losing that which you cherished.
“With the princess,” Aisling said.
Hawthorne nodded.
Aisling stepped away from Hawthorne’s hand and moved to me. It took a great deal for me not to flinch away from him. He knelt beside Galen and me.
“There will be no princess for me,” Aisling said. “She will not risk it now.” He looked down at me. “Will you, Princess?”
I didn’t know what to say because he was right. I did not want him touching me. I said the only thing I could think of: “I will not rule it out, but I fear you now, Aisling, where I didn’t before.”
“I’m missing something,” Polaski said.
“Be happy you missed it,” I said.
She walked toward me. “No, you’re hiding too many things from me, Princess. I need to know what is happening here, or you get nothing from me and my people.”
As she came to stand over us, she brushed against Aisling and started to fall. Galen and I reacted, knowing that Aisling must not touch her with his bare skin. I stood between them, pushing Aisling backwards. Galen came to his knees and caught Dr. Polaski before she could hit the floor.
The doctor was safe with Galen, but I was in Aisling’s arms, and I wasn’t safe at all.
CHAPTER 23
HE CAUGHT HIS BALANCE, AND ME, WITH HIS ARMS AND HIS BODY. Perhaps he stumbled more than he needed to, so he would be able to hold me tighter, but it wasn’t him that made my hand slip underneath his tunic to glide along bare skin. Fear choked me, ran along my skin so that it was like small electric shocks, tingling out to my fingertips. I saw Melangell’s face, her empty, bloody eyes, and waited for his magic to take me. I stared up into those odd eyes, with their inner knot, bound in four empty loops. There was no sign of the blue of his eyes. Something was missing.
I traced my hand up the curve of his spine, so warm, so firm, so real. He leaned over me, as if to kiss me through the gauze of his veil. I leaned back, his hands tightened around my body, holding me against him. If I had not seen him with Melangell I would have simply let him kiss me, but some things once known can never be unknown.
I smelled roses. I was suddenly drowning in the sweet, almost cloying scent of roses.
Aisling hesitated. “Do you smell that?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
A voice whispered through my head. “With Amatheon I bid you hurry, and you turned from haste, and chose the longer road. You risked losing that which you cherished.