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A Kiss Of Shadows :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 289 из 338Doyle kissed my hand and took up his post beside Frost at my back. Galen and Rhys sat by my legs, the way Keelin sat beside Cel. It was a little subservient for my taste, but I wasn't sure what else to do. Kitto stayed pressed to the floor, motionless.
I turned to my aunt. "Queen Andais, this is Kitto, a goblin. He is part of my bargain with Kurag, Goblin King, to bind an alliance between the goblin kingdom and myself for six months."
Andais's eyes raised upward. "You have been a very busy girl tonight, Meredith."
"I felt the need of powerful allies, my queen," I said. My eyes strayed to Cel even though I tried not to look at him.
"You must tell me later how you managed to get six months out of Kurag, but for now, call your goblin."
"Kitto," I said, holding my hand outward, "rise and come to my hand."
He raised his face without moving his body. The movement looked almost painful in its awkwardness. His eyes flicked to the queen, then back to me. I nodded. "It's all right, Kitto."
He looked back to the queen. She shook her head. "Get up off the ground, boy, so a doctor may attend your mistress's wounds."
Kitto rose to all fours. When no one shouted at him, he came to his knees, then to one knee, then very carefully to his feet. He came up the steps too quickly, almost a run, and sat down at my feet with something like relief on his face.
"Fflur, attend the princess," Andais said.
Fflur came up the steps with two white ladies on either side of her. The one holding the tray of bandages was the more solid of the two. She looked almost alive in a white, transparent sort of way. The other spirit was utterly invisible, holding a small closed box in midair as if aided by brownie magic, but no brownies worked magic here. Nothing that Earthly haunted the Unseelie Court.
Fflur removed my shoe and rotated my foot, which made me scoot around in my chair. I managed not to say "ow, ow, ow," but I wanted to. Thankfully it was just the ankle. Everything else was working.
"You need to remove your stocking so I can bind the ankle," she said.
I started to work the skirt up and fish for the band of my thigh-highs, but Galen put his hands over mine and stopped me. "Allow me," he said. He was not coming to my bed tonight, but the look in his eyes, the hush in his voice, the weight of his hands against mine over my thigh was like a promise for the future.
Rhys laid a hand on my other knee. "Why do you get to remove her stocking?"
Galen looked at him. "Because I thought of it first."
Rhys smiled and shook his head. "Good answer.
I turned to my aunt. "Queen Andais, this is Kitto, a goblin. He is part of my bargain with Kurag, Goblin King, to bind an alliance between the goblin kingdom and myself for six months."
Andais's eyes raised upward. "You have been a very busy girl tonight, Meredith."
"I felt the need of powerful allies, my queen," I said. My eyes strayed to Cel even though I tried not to look at him.
"You must tell me later how you managed to get six months out of Kurag, but for now, call your goblin."
"Kitto," I said, holding my hand outward, "rise and come to my hand."
He raised his face without moving his body. The movement looked almost painful in its awkwardness. His eyes flicked to the queen, then back to me. I nodded. "It's all right, Kitto."
He looked back to the queen. She shook her head. "Get up off the ground, boy, so a doctor may attend your mistress's wounds."
Kitto rose to all fours. When no one shouted at him, he came to his knees, then to one knee, then very carefully to his feet. He came up the steps too quickly, almost a run, and sat down at my feet with something like relief on his face.
"Fflur, attend the princess," Andais said.
Fflur came up the steps with two white ladies on either side of her. The one holding the tray of bandages was the more solid of the two. She looked almost alive in a white, transparent sort of way. The other spirit was utterly invisible, holding a small closed box in midair as if aided by brownie magic, but no brownies worked magic here. Nothing that Earthly haunted the Unseelie Court.
Fflur removed my shoe and rotated my foot, which made me scoot around in my chair. I managed not to say "ow, ow, ow," but I wanted to. Thankfully it was just the ankle. Everything else was working.
"You need to remove your stocking so I can bind the ankle," she said.
I started to work the skirt up and fish for the band of my thigh-highs, but Galen put his hands over mine and stopped me. "Allow me," he said. He was not coming to my bed tonight, but the look in his eyes, the hush in his voice, the weight of his hands against mine over my thigh was like a promise for the future.
Rhys laid a hand on my other knee. "Why do you get to remove her stocking?"
Galen looked at him. "Because I thought of it first."
Rhys smiled and shook his head. "Good answer.