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The Harlequin :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 314 из 330The other men, even Damianwas like a press of tenderness at my back, but Richard was cold to my heart.
«Anita…«He whispered it.
What could I say? «You said we were nothing to you. You said you didn't want the ardeur .»
«This isn't the ardeur », he said.
I nodded. «Yes, it is, Richard. You never understood that for me the ardeur wasn't just about sex. This is the ardeur .»
«I can smell the edge of it, it's as if love had a scent.»
«It's the ardeur , Richard, what it's become.»
«If I'd stayed by your side, you'd be spilling love all over me?» He made it a question.
«I don't know.»
« Ma petite , could we discuss this later?»
We looked at him, still hand-in-hand. «Sorry» I said.
Richard scented the air, and for a moment I thought he really was trying to scent what love smelled like. «It doesn't smell like her.»
I scented the air, too. «No, she smells like jasmine and rain, and night. There's no scent to this.» The darkness wasn't growing… darker. It should have been. It was twilight, and power breathed through the room, but it wasn't quite enough power, not for her.
I turned back to Columbine and her servant. «Belle Morte said that the Harlequin are the servants of the Dark Mother. Did she mean that literally?»
«All of us bear a piece of the original darkness inside us, little girl. Feel the power of the night given human form and know true terror.»
I shook my head and said to Richard, «It's not her.»
He moved up beside me, as close as the other men would allow. We were getting to be quite a crowd again. «If I hadn't been in your dream with the real thing, this might be scary.»
I nodded. «But we've felt the real deal, and this ain't it.»
«This isn't the Mother?» Asher said. He'd gotten to his feet, scrubbing at tears on his face.
«No, it's a shadow of her, barely that,» I said.
Nathaniel drew in a large breath. «I smelled her once in the car. She smelled like something cat, and jasmine, and so many things. This has no scent, it's not real.»
The darkness began to press down like a shadowy hand, but it was only a shadow. The little vampires huddled and, beating at the doors, screamed louder. It had cleared the pews out so that there was no one but our guards in the aisles. The guards, and our vampires.
«The Dark Mother will consume you all, unless you lay down your arms and submit to us.»
The shadow of dark tried to crush us. Damian made a small sound. «Don't be afraid,» I said.
«Anita…«He whispered it.
What could I say? «You said we were nothing to you. You said you didn't want the ardeur .»
«This isn't the ardeur », he said.
I nodded. «Yes, it is, Richard. You never understood that for me the ardeur wasn't just about sex. This is the ardeur .»
«I can smell the edge of it, it's as if love had a scent.»
«It's the ardeur , Richard, what it's become.»
«If I'd stayed by your side, you'd be spilling love all over me?» He made it a question.
«I don't know.»
« Ma petite , could we discuss this later?»
We looked at him, still hand-in-hand. «Sorry» I said.
Richard scented the air, and for a moment I thought he really was trying to scent what love smelled like. «It doesn't smell like her.»
I scented the air, too. «No, she smells like jasmine and rain, and night. There's no scent to this.» The darkness wasn't growing… darker. It should have been. It was twilight, and power breathed through the room, but it wasn't quite enough power, not for her.
I turned back to Columbine and her servant. «Belle Morte said that the Harlequin are the servants of the Dark Mother. Did she mean that literally?»
«All of us bear a piece of the original darkness inside us, little girl. Feel the power of the night given human form and know true terror.»
I shook my head and said to Richard, «It's not her.»
He moved up beside me, as close as the other men would allow. We were getting to be quite a crowd again. «If I hadn't been in your dream with the real thing, this might be scary.»
I nodded. «But we've felt the real deal, and this ain't it.»
«This isn't the Mother?» Asher said. He'd gotten to his feet, scrubbing at tears on his face.
«No, it's a shadow of her, barely that,» I said.
Nathaniel drew in a large breath. «I smelled her once in the car. She smelled like something cat, and jasmine, and so many things. This has no scent, it's not real.»
The darkness began to press down like a shadowy hand, but it was only a shadow. The little vampires huddled and, beating at the doors, screamed louder. It had cleared the pews out so that there was no one but our guards in the aisles. The guards, and our vampires.
«The Dark Mother will consume you all, unless you lay down your arms and submit to us.»
The shadow of dark tried to crush us. Damian made a small sound. «Don't be afraid,» I said.