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Micah :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 35 из 80They patched me up as best theycould, and they got me to a clearing so a chopper could get me to a hospital. No one expected me to live."
I stroked his hair, still slick and tight in the braid. "But you did," I whispered.
He nodded, rubbing his head against the silk shirt and my breasts underneath. Not sexual, but comforting.
"The wereleopard was a serial killer. He hit only hunters, and only after they'd killed an animal. The FBI put out a warning to hunters after we were attacked. Fox said they put it together as a serial case only a few hours before we were attacked. The first attack had been on a reservation where he was assigned."
"He solved it," I said.
"He caught the… monster. He was there when they killed it."
He kept saying it and monster . You didn't hear that often from shapeshifters—not about other shifters. "I died, was brought back, survived, and healed. Healed so fast. Incredibly fast. Then a month later I was the monster." His voice was so sad when he said it, so unutterably sad.
"You're not a monster," I said.
He drew away enough to look up at me. "But a lot of us are, Anita. I joined Merle's pard, and he was a good leader, but Chimera came and took us over, and Chimera was crazy and cruel."
Chimera had been the leader I'd killed to save Micah and his people, and a lot of other people. Chimera had been the only panwere that I'd ever heard of, someone who could turn into a variety of animals. Before I'd seen him I'd have said it was impossible, but I'd seen him, and had to destroy him. He'd been real and powerful, and a very creative sexual sadist.
I held his face in my hands. "You are a good person, Micah. You are not a monster."
"I used you when we first met, Anita. I saw you as a way to save my leopards. To rescue us all."
"I know," I said. "We talked about it. You asked me what I would have done to save Nathaniel and all the leopards from Chimera. I agreed that I would have done anything, or at least what you did to get me involved. I couldn't fault you on it."
"From the moment you touched me, the plan changed. You changed it. You changed everything. You never looked at me like I was a monster. You were never afraid of me, not in any way."
"You make it sound like someone else was afraid of you."
He sighed again. "I had a high school sweetheart. We weren't exactly engaged, but we had an understanding that once we got our college degrees, we'd marry."
"Sounds good," I said.
He shook his head. "We waited for sex, a year of waiting.
I stroked his hair, still slick and tight in the braid. "But you did," I whispered.
He nodded, rubbing his head against the silk shirt and my breasts underneath. Not sexual, but comforting.
"The wereleopard was a serial killer. He hit only hunters, and only after they'd killed an animal. The FBI put out a warning to hunters after we were attacked. Fox said they put it together as a serial case only a few hours before we were attacked. The first attack had been on a reservation where he was assigned."
"He solved it," I said.
"He caught the… monster. He was there when they killed it."
He kept saying it and monster . You didn't hear that often from shapeshifters—not about other shifters. "I died, was brought back, survived, and healed. Healed so fast. Incredibly fast. Then a month later I was the monster." His voice was so sad when he said it, so unutterably sad.
"You're not a monster," I said.
He drew away enough to look up at me. "But a lot of us are, Anita. I joined Merle's pard, and he was a good leader, but Chimera came and took us over, and Chimera was crazy and cruel."
Chimera had been the leader I'd killed to save Micah and his people, and a lot of other people. Chimera had been the only panwere that I'd ever heard of, someone who could turn into a variety of animals. Before I'd seen him I'd have said it was impossible, but I'd seen him, and had to destroy him. He'd been real and powerful, and a very creative sexual sadist.
I held his face in my hands. "You are a good person, Micah. You are not a monster."
"I used you when we first met, Anita. I saw you as a way to save my leopards. To rescue us all."
"I know," I said. "We talked about it. You asked me what I would have done to save Nathaniel and all the leopards from Chimera. I agreed that I would have done anything, or at least what you did to get me involved. I couldn't fault you on it."
"From the moment you touched me, the plan changed. You changed it. You changed everything. You never looked at me like I was a monster. You were never afraid of me, not in any way."
"You make it sound like someone else was afraid of you."
He sighed again. "I had a high school sweetheart. We weren't exactly engaged, but we had an understanding that once we got our college degrees, we'd marry."
"Sounds good," I said.
He shook his head. "We waited for sex, a year of waiting.