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A Kiss Of Shadows :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 252 из 338He watched me like you'd watch a coiled rattlesnake, no sudden movements, and no trust that it wouldn't bite you anyway. He was afraid of what was happening in that room.
I walked past him. I felt Rhys at my back, but all I could see was what lay in the center of the room. There was a small water garden in the center of the room, with a large decorative rock in the center of it. Stepping-stones led to the rock, in which were embedded permanent chains. Galen was chained to the rock. His body was almost lost to sight under the slowly fanning butterfly wings of the demi-fey. They looked like true butterflies on the edge of a puddle, sipping liquid, wings moving slowly to the rhythm of their feeding. But they weren't sipping water, they were drinking his blood.
He screamed again, and it sent me rushing forward. Doyle was suddenly in front of me. He must have been guarding the other doors. "You cannot stop them once they have begun to feed."
"Why is he screaming? It shouldn't hurt that much." I tried to get past him, and he grabbed my arm.
"No, Meredith, no."
Galen shrieked long and loud, his body arching against the chains. The movement dislodged some of the demi-fey, and I glimpsed why he was screaming. His groin was a bloody mess. They were taking flesh as well as blood.
Rhys hissed, "Bloody beasts."
Doyle tightened his grip on my arm.
"They're mutilating him," I protested.
"He will heal."
I tried to pull away but his fingers were like something welded to my skin. "Doyle, please?"
"I am sorry, Princess."
Galen shrieked, and the rock strained under the pull of his body, but the chains held. "This is excessive and you know it."
"The prince is within his rights to punish Galen for disobeying him." He tried to pull me farther away, as if that would make it better.
"No, Doyle, if Galen has to endure it, I won't look away. Now let go of me."
"You promise not to do anything rash?"
"My word," I said.
He released me, and when I touched his shoulder, he moved to one side so my view was unobstructed. The wings were every color of the rainbow, and some that the rainbow could only dream of—huge wings bigger than my hands flexing slowly in and out above brief glimpses of Galen's nearly nude body. His pants were down around his ankles, and there was no other clothing that I could see. There was a terrible beauty to the scene, like a very pretty slice of hell.
One set of wings was larger than the others, like huge pale swallow-tailed kites.
I walked past him. I felt Rhys at my back, but all I could see was what lay in the center of the room. There was a small water garden in the center of the room, with a large decorative rock in the center of it. Stepping-stones led to the rock, in which were embedded permanent chains. Galen was chained to the rock. His body was almost lost to sight under the slowly fanning butterfly wings of the demi-fey. They looked like true butterflies on the edge of a puddle, sipping liquid, wings moving slowly to the rhythm of their feeding. But they weren't sipping water, they were drinking his blood.
He screamed again, and it sent me rushing forward. Doyle was suddenly in front of me. He must have been guarding the other doors. "You cannot stop them once they have begun to feed."
"Why is he screaming? It shouldn't hurt that much." I tried to get past him, and he grabbed my arm.
"No, Meredith, no."
Galen shrieked long and loud, his body arching against the chains. The movement dislodged some of the demi-fey, and I glimpsed why he was screaming. His groin was a bloody mess. They were taking flesh as well as blood.
Rhys hissed, "Bloody beasts."
Doyle tightened his grip on my arm.
"They're mutilating him," I protested.
"He will heal."
I tried to pull away but his fingers were like something welded to my skin. "Doyle, please?"
"I am sorry, Princess."
Galen shrieked, and the rock strained under the pull of his body, but the chains held. "This is excessive and you know it."
"The prince is within his rights to punish Galen for disobeying him." He tried to pull me farther away, as if that would make it better.
"No, Doyle, if Galen has to endure it, I won't look away. Now let go of me."
"You promise not to do anything rash?"
"My word," I said.
He released me, and when I touched his shoulder, he moved to one side so my view was unobstructed. The wings were every color of the rainbow, and some that the rainbow could only dream of—huge wings bigger than my hands flexing slowly in and out above brief glimpses of Galen's nearly nude body. His pants were down around his ankles, and there was no other clothing that I could see. There was a terrible beauty to the scene, like a very pretty slice of hell.
One set of wings was larger than the others, like huge pale swallow-tailed kites.