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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 241 из 293Why do you love one man and not another? Why is it that one person’s touch fills you with shivery heat, and the same touch from another leaves you cold? It is a mystery. But I could answer truthfully and still be comforting.
“I love you, Galen.”
He just looked at me.
“Maybe I had forgotten just how much, but today. . when I saw you lying there…” My voice failed me, and I had to close my eyes to keep from seeing him lying in a pool of his own blood.
Nicca stroked my thigh, not for sex but to comfort.
“When I saw you there, like that, I thought I would die from grief. To never see your smile again.” My eyes felt hot, and I couldn’t decide if crying would make me feel better or worse.
He touched my face, and without opening my eyes, I knew it was his hand. His warm, gentle hand. I laid my cheek into that hand. I was reminded sharply of doing the same thing to Doyle only a few hours ago. Galen had failed me then, had not understood why Gillette’s failing me had made me cry. But giving Galen into the hands of another woman who could give him his nights of gentle love was one thing; giving him up to death was another. That I could not bear.
I opened my eyes and gazed up at him. I met those green, green eyes.
“You’re crying,” he said, and the look on his face was one of wonderment.
“Not quite,” I said, but my voice sounded it. I had to swallow hard to say the next part. “Maybe I have been pulling back from you. I didn’t mean to.” I touched his hand with mine, kept it pressed against my face. “What terrified me about you being king was that our enemies would kill you. If I was picking men who could survive that kind of treachery, it wouldn’t be you, my gentle love.”
“Like Dormath thinking I would just forgive him for almost killing me.”
“Yes.”
“The last thing I thought, the very last thought, was you. I was afraid that it was the beginning of an assault on all of us.” He lowered his gaze and wouldn’t look at me. “I thought, Doyle and Frost will keep her safe. That if one of us had to die first, it was better that it was me.” His smile was more sad than happy. “I guess my actual last, last thought was, why me? If I’d killed someone first, it would have been Doyle, not me. I prayed to the Goddess for your safety, and I died.”
“Not quite,” I whispered.
He looked at me then, and the smile was almost a real one.
“I love you, Galen.”
He just looked at me.
“Maybe I had forgotten just how much, but today. . when I saw you lying there…” My voice failed me, and I had to close my eyes to keep from seeing him lying in a pool of his own blood.
Nicca stroked my thigh, not for sex but to comfort.
“When I saw you there, like that, I thought I would die from grief. To never see your smile again.” My eyes felt hot, and I couldn’t decide if crying would make me feel better or worse.
He touched my face, and without opening my eyes, I knew it was his hand. His warm, gentle hand. I laid my cheek into that hand. I was reminded sharply of doing the same thing to Doyle only a few hours ago. Galen had failed me then, had not understood why Gillette’s failing me had made me cry. But giving Galen into the hands of another woman who could give him his nights of gentle love was one thing; giving him up to death was another. That I could not bear.
I opened my eyes and gazed up at him. I met those green, green eyes.
“You’re crying,” he said, and the look on his face was one of wonderment.
“Not quite,” I said, but my voice sounded it. I had to swallow hard to say the next part. “Maybe I have been pulling back from you. I didn’t mean to.” I touched his hand with mine, kept it pressed against my face. “What terrified me about you being king was that our enemies would kill you. If I was picking men who could survive that kind of treachery, it wouldn’t be you, my gentle love.”
“Like Dormath thinking I would just forgive him for almost killing me.”
“Yes.”
“The last thing I thought, the very last thought, was you. I was afraid that it was the beginning of an assault on all of us.” He lowered his gaze and wouldn’t look at me. “I thought, Doyle and Frost will keep her safe. That if one of us had to die first, it was better that it was me.” His smile was more sad than happy. “I guess my actual last, last thought was, why me? If I’d killed someone first, it would have been Doyle, not me. I prayed to the Goddess for your safety, and I died.”
“Not quite,” I whispered.
He looked at me then, and the smile was almost a real one.