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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 93 из 293It was almost as if with Doyle fallen to pieces, he had to hold himself together better than was his wont.
“Yes, I mean…” I thought about what he’d said. “It’s too early to be certain.”
Doyle shook his head hard enough that his heavy braid rustled against the leather. “The ring has never come to life for any of us. You have never had such sex with any of us. What else could it mean but that he is the ring’s choice?”
“I don’t know, but…” In the face of his pain, I didn’t know what to say. I looked from one to the other of them. Their belief was plain on their faces. I looked at them huddled together, light and darkness entwined, and my chest was tight. It was suddenly hard to breathe. The room felt hot and close. If I was pregnant from Mistral, I would lose them, both of them. I would be bound to Mistral, and I would be monogamous to him and him alone. The sex had been good, maybe great, but it was just sex, and… “I don’t love him.” The moment I said it, I knew it was a child’s plea. A child’s wish.
“A queen does not marry for love.” Doyle’s deep voice held the edge of tears.
“But wait, I thought the ring found your true love, your perfect match.”
“It does,” Frost said.
“Nicca and Biddy are completely gone on each other,” I said. “They look at each other as if there is no one else in the world.”
They both nodded. Frost said, “It was always thus with the ones the ring chose.”
“But Mistral and I are not looking at each other that way.”
“You did not see his face afterwards,” Doyle said. “I did.”
“As did I,” Frost said.
I waved it away. “I was the first sex he’s had in centuries. And it was magical sex, power-driven sex. That is heady stuff. Any man would look at me that way, but it was lust, not love.”
Frost frowned at me. Doyle just stared as if his emotions had emptied him.
“I certainly don’t feel that way about Mistral.”
Frost looked positively suspicious. “You do not, truly?”
I shook my head. “If the ring had chosen him, then I’d be in love with him, right?”
Frost nodded.
“I do not feel that way about Mistral.”
“How can you not want what we saw in the hallway?” Doyle asked, in a voice that had gone almost empty of emotion, as if it had all been too much for him.
“Yes, I mean…” I thought about what he’d said. “It’s too early to be certain.”
Doyle shook his head hard enough that his heavy braid rustled against the leather. “The ring has never come to life for any of us. You have never had such sex with any of us. What else could it mean but that he is the ring’s choice?”
“I don’t know, but…” In the face of his pain, I didn’t know what to say. I looked from one to the other of them. Their belief was plain on their faces. I looked at them huddled together, light and darkness entwined, and my chest was tight. It was suddenly hard to breathe. The room felt hot and close. If I was pregnant from Mistral, I would lose them, both of them. I would be bound to Mistral, and I would be monogamous to him and him alone. The sex had been good, maybe great, but it was just sex, and… “I don’t love him.” The moment I said it, I knew it was a child’s plea. A child’s wish.
“A queen does not marry for love.” Doyle’s deep voice held the edge of tears.
“But wait, I thought the ring found your true love, your perfect match.”
“It does,” Frost said.
“Nicca and Biddy are completely gone on each other,” I said. “They look at each other as if there is no one else in the world.”
They both nodded. Frost said, “It was always thus with the ones the ring chose.”
“But Mistral and I are not looking at each other that way.”
“You did not see his face afterwards,” Doyle said. “I did.”
“As did I,” Frost said.
I waved it away. “I was the first sex he’s had in centuries. And it was magical sex, power-driven sex. That is heady stuff. Any man would look at me that way, but it was lust, not love.”
Frost frowned at me. Doyle just stared as if his emotions had emptied him.
“I certainly don’t feel that way about Mistral.”
Frost looked positively suspicious. “You do not, truly?”
I shook my head. “If the ring had chosen him, then I’d be in love with him, right?”
Frost nodded.
“I do not feel that way about Mistral.”
“How can you not want what we saw in the hallway?” Doyle asked, in a voice that had gone almost empty of emotion, as if it had all been too much for him.