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Narcissus in Chains :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 410 из 461I am having to …guess at this."
"Guess?" I said.
He sighed. "If I said that I knew for certain what has happened, it would be a lie. I would never lie to you on purpose."
I had protested, demanded, but nothing I could do or say made it untrue. I had a vampire servant, and that was impossible. But impossible or not, Damian lay against my body, clinging to me, like I was the last hope he had.
Asher glided back into the bathroom, wearing a beach towel wrapped around him. The towel was big enough to cover him from armpits to mid-calf, effectively hiding his body. Hiding the scars. "My clothes are covered in blood. I hope you do not mind."
I hated wearing bloody clothes myself, so, "Fine, glad you found a towel you liked."
He glanced down at the colorful towel. "I do not fit in your robe."
I was sorry Asher felt like he had to hide himself away, but I had other things to worry about. "I think if I don't get cooler soon I'm either going to throw up or pass out."
He knelt by the tub, smoothing the long towel under his knees in a gesture that you don't see much in men. He touched my face lightly. "You are flushed." He touched Damian. "His skin is still cooler than it should be." He frowned. "You need to take off some of your clothing, especially the jeans, I would think."
Normally, I go to great lengths not to be unclothed in front of all the boys, but tonight I was willing to strip down a little. "How do I undress and still hold him?"
"I believe that one of us could hold him against you while you disrobed."
"You really think that he'll go into convulsions again?"
"You could release him, and we could find out," Asher said, voice soft.
I shook my head. "I'm tired of cleaning up blood. Just help me hold him."
Asher's eyes went a little wide. "I will call Nathaniel."
The heat had gone to my head in a pounding headache. "Just jump in, Asher, I promise not to peek."
He curled beside the tub, tucking every piece of him he could underneath the towel. "If I dropped this towel to the floor, would you really not look?"
His question stopped me. I opened my mouth, closed it, and tried to think through the heat, the headache, the growing nausea, and finally just said the truth. "I wouldn't mean to look, but no, you're right. If you're naked I'm going to look. I don't think I could stop myself."
"Like a car accident, you cannot turn away," he said.
I looked up then and found he'd turned away, hiding his face with that fall of golden hair.
"Guess?" I said.
He sighed. "If I said that I knew for certain what has happened, it would be a lie. I would never lie to you on purpose."
I had protested, demanded, but nothing I could do or say made it untrue. I had a vampire servant, and that was impossible. But impossible or not, Damian lay against my body, clinging to me, like I was the last hope he had.
Asher glided back into the bathroom, wearing a beach towel wrapped around him. The towel was big enough to cover him from armpits to mid-calf, effectively hiding his body. Hiding the scars. "My clothes are covered in blood. I hope you do not mind."
I hated wearing bloody clothes myself, so, "Fine, glad you found a towel you liked."
He glanced down at the colorful towel. "I do not fit in your robe."
I was sorry Asher felt like he had to hide himself away, but I had other things to worry about. "I think if I don't get cooler soon I'm either going to throw up or pass out."
He knelt by the tub, smoothing the long towel under his knees in a gesture that you don't see much in men. He touched my face lightly. "You are flushed." He touched Damian. "His skin is still cooler than it should be." He frowned. "You need to take off some of your clothing, especially the jeans, I would think."
Normally, I go to great lengths not to be unclothed in front of all the boys, but tonight I was willing to strip down a little. "How do I undress and still hold him?"
"I believe that one of us could hold him against you while you disrobed."
"You really think that he'll go into convulsions again?"
"You could release him, and we could find out," Asher said, voice soft.
I shook my head. "I'm tired of cleaning up blood. Just help me hold him."
Asher's eyes went a little wide. "I will call Nathaniel."
The heat had gone to my head in a pounding headache. "Just jump in, Asher, I promise not to peek."
He curled beside the tub, tucking every piece of him he could underneath the towel. "If I dropped this towel to the floor, would you really not look?"
His question stopped me. I opened my mouth, closed it, and tried to think through the heat, the headache, the growing nausea, and finally just said the truth. "I wouldn't mean to look, but no, you're right. If you're naked I'm going to look. I don't think I could stop myself."
"Like a car accident, you cannot turn away," he said.
I looked up then and found he'd turned away, hiding his face with that fall of golden hair.