JК
Narcissus in Chains :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 407 из 461"
"We are not going to kill Damian," I said.
Jean-Claude looked at me, then at Micah, and Nathaniel, and Gil, and the other wereleopards, and even the bodyguards. His gaze seemed to take everyone in, then he looked at me again. "I ask again, ma petite , who will you sacrifice for your high ideals?"
"You think he can't be saved, don't you?"
"I know that once the madness takes a vampire, even the master who bore him cannot always bring him back to his senses."
"Is there anything I can do that might bring him back to himself?"
"Let him feed, try to see he does not kill that which he eats, and hope when he tastes your blood, he regains his senses. If your blood does not sate him, then Asher will try to feed him. If that fails … " He gave that shrug that meant everything and nothing; even holding Gretchen it looked graceful.
"I don't want him to die because of me."
"If he dies, ma petite , it will be because he tried to kill someone in this room." With that he walked out, Jason trailing behind.
I think, perhaps, I'd used up Jean-Claude's patience with me, or maybe seeing what he'd done to Gretchen had bothered him that much. Whatever the cause, he left me in the room with everyone looking to me as to how to proceed. And I didn't have a clue. Who was I willing to put next to the coffin? Who was I willing to risk?
56
THE ANSWER, OF course, was no one, but we finally decided who got to be the first victim. I was pretty useless for the discussion, because I would have put myself first in line. Never ask of anyone what you're not willing to do yourself. But Asher pointed out that I couldn't be the first feed if I had any chance of being Damian's master. So they decided among themselves, and it was Zane left standing next to the coffin.
Everybody but me that had a gun had it out with a round chambered. I needed my hands free to offer up a body part to get gnawed on. Come to think of it, I didn't much like that job description either. But it wasn't watching Zane's pale back as he unfastened the chain that bothered me, it was watching Cherry's face as she watched him do it. That much fear for someone's safety, that much importance attached to one other being meant that it was love for her, too. They loved each other, and he was about to cry, cry for help, and loose the carrion birds to feed, and feed, and feed.
The lid of the coffin was only half raised when Zane jerked forward and pale hands showed around him, holding him.
"We are not going to kill Damian," I said.
Jean-Claude looked at me, then at Micah, and Nathaniel, and Gil, and the other wereleopards, and even the bodyguards. His gaze seemed to take everyone in, then he looked at me again. "I ask again, ma petite , who will you sacrifice for your high ideals?"
"You think he can't be saved, don't you?"
"I know that once the madness takes a vampire, even the master who bore him cannot always bring him back to his senses."
"Is there anything I can do that might bring him back to himself?"
"Let him feed, try to see he does not kill that which he eats, and hope when he tastes your blood, he regains his senses. If your blood does not sate him, then Asher will try to feed him. If that fails … " He gave that shrug that meant everything and nothing; even holding Gretchen it looked graceful.
"I don't want him to die because of me."
"If he dies, ma petite , it will be because he tried to kill someone in this room." With that he walked out, Jason trailing behind.
I think, perhaps, I'd used up Jean-Claude's patience with me, or maybe seeing what he'd done to Gretchen had bothered him that much. Whatever the cause, he left me in the room with everyone looking to me as to how to proceed. And I didn't have a clue. Who was I willing to put next to the coffin? Who was I willing to risk?
56
THE ANSWER, OF course, was no one, but we finally decided who got to be the first victim. I was pretty useless for the discussion, because I would have put myself first in line. Never ask of anyone what you're not willing to do yourself. But Asher pointed out that I couldn't be the first feed if I had any chance of being Damian's master. So they decided among themselves, and it was Zane left standing next to the coffin.
Everybody but me that had a gun had it out with a round chambered. I needed my hands free to offer up a body part to get gnawed on. Come to think of it, I didn't much like that job description either. But it wasn't watching Zane's pale back as he unfastened the chain that bothered me, it was watching Cherry's face as she watched him do it. That much fear for someone's safety, that much importance attached to one other being meant that it was love for her, too. They loved each other, and he was about to cry, cry for help, and loose the carrion birds to feed, and feed, and feed.
The lid of the coffin was only half raised when Zane jerked forward and pale hands showed around him, holding him.