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A Kiss Of Shadows :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 244 из 338I sank against him, arms sliding around his waist, under his cloak. He stroked my hair from my face. "Your skin is cold to the touch. What did she do, Merry?" He raised my head back, gently, so he could see my face while I clung to him. "Talk to me," he said, voice soft.
I shook my head. "She offered me everything, Rhys, everything a little sidhe could want. The trouble is, I don't trust it."
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
I pulled away from him then. "This." I touched my throat where the blood was drying. "I am mortal, Rhys. Just because I'm offered the moon doesn't mean I'll survive to put it in my pocket."
There was a look on his face that was gentle, but I was also suddenly aware of how very much older he was than I. His face was still young, but the look in his eye was not. "Is that the worst of the injuries?"
I nodded.
He reached out and touched the spot of blood. It didn't even hurt when he touched it. It really wasn't much of a wound. It was so hard to explain that what was hurting didn't show on my skin. The queen was living in denial about what Cel was, but I wasn't. He'd never share the throne with me: One of us would have to be dead before the other sat on the throne.
"Did she threaten you?" Rhys asked.
I nodded again.
"You look totally spooked, Merry. What did she say to you in there?"
I stared at him and didn't want to tell him. It was as if saying it out loud would make it more real. But it was more than that. It was the fact that if Rhys knew, he wouldn't be totally displeased. "It's sort of good news, bad news," I said.
"What's the good news?"
I told him about being named coheir.
He hugged me tight and hard. "That's wonderful news, Merry. What could possibly be bad news after that?"
I pulled back from the hug. "Do you really think Cel will let me live long enough to displace him? He was behind the attempts on my life three years ago, and he didn't have nearly this good a reason for wanting me dead."
The smile faded from his face. "You bear the queen's mark now—even Cel would not dare kill you. It's death by the queen's mercy if anyone harms you now."
"She stood in there and told me that I left the court because of Griffin. I tried to tell her that I hadn't left because of a broken heart, that I'd left because of the duels." I shook my head. "She talked over me, Rhys, like I wasn't saying anything. She is in very major denial, and I don't think my death would change that."
"You mean her baby boy would never do such a thing," he said.
"Exactly.
I shook my head. "She offered me everything, Rhys, everything a little sidhe could want. The trouble is, I don't trust it."
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
I pulled away from him then. "This." I touched my throat where the blood was drying. "I am mortal, Rhys. Just because I'm offered the moon doesn't mean I'll survive to put it in my pocket."
There was a look on his face that was gentle, but I was also suddenly aware of how very much older he was than I. His face was still young, but the look in his eye was not. "Is that the worst of the injuries?"
I nodded.
He reached out and touched the spot of blood. It didn't even hurt when he touched it. It really wasn't much of a wound. It was so hard to explain that what was hurting didn't show on my skin. The queen was living in denial about what Cel was, but I wasn't. He'd never share the throne with me: One of us would have to be dead before the other sat on the throne.
"Did she threaten you?" Rhys asked.
I nodded again.
"You look totally spooked, Merry. What did she say to you in there?"
I stared at him and didn't want to tell him. It was as if saying it out loud would make it more real. But it was more than that. It was the fact that if Rhys knew, he wouldn't be totally displeased. "It's sort of good news, bad news," I said.
"What's the good news?"
I told him about being named coheir.
He hugged me tight and hard. "That's wonderful news, Merry. What could possibly be bad news after that?"
I pulled back from the hug. "Do you really think Cel will let me live long enough to displace him? He was behind the attempts on my life three years ago, and he didn't have nearly this good a reason for wanting me dead."
The smile faded from his face. "You bear the queen's mark now—even Cel would not dare kill you. It's death by the queen's mercy if anyone harms you now."
"She stood in there and told me that I left the court because of Griffin. I tried to tell her that I hadn't left because of a broken heart, that I'd left because of the duels." I shook my head. "She talked over me, Rhys, like I wasn't saying anything. She is in very major denial, and I don't think my death would change that."
"You mean her baby boy would never do such a thing," he said.
"Exactly.