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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 10 из 236It can be matchedjust like fingerprints."
"I've seen wards set up to harm something that tries to break them, or even mark the intruder with a scar or burn, but I've never seen anyone take imprints before," Rhys said.
"It was clever," Doyle said. Which from him was a great compliment.
"Thank you." I frowned at him. "If you've never seen anyone do something like this with a ward, how did you know what you were seeing through the drapes?"
"Rhys said that he had never seen anything like it. I did not say that."
"Where else did you see it?"
"I am an assassin, a hunter, Princess. Tracks are a very good thing to have."
"The print on its hand will match this, but it won't leave tracks as it travels."
Doyle gave a small shrug. "A pity, it would have been useful."
"You can make a creature of faerie leave magical tracks?" I asked.
"Yes."
"But they would see them with their own magic and ruin the spell." He shrugged. "I've never found the world big enough to hide quarry that I tracked."
"You're always so … perfect," I said.
He glanced past me at the window. "No, my princess, I fear I am not perfect, and our enemies, whoever they may be, know that now."
The breeze had become a wind, billowing out the white drapes. I could see the small-clawed print frozen in the glittering magic. I was half a continent away from the nearest faerie stronghold. I'd thought L.A. was far enough away to keep us safe, but I guess if someone really wants you dead, they'll catch a plane or something with wings. After years of exile I finally had a little slice of home with me. Home never really changed. It had always been lovely, erotic, and very, very dangerous.
Chapter 2
The windows of my office showed a nearly faultless sky, like somebody had taken a single blue cornflower petal and stretched it to fill the air above us. It was one of the most perfect skies I'd ever seen over Los Angeles. The buildings of downtown sparkled in the sunlight. Today was one of those rare days that allows people to pretend that L.A. sits in an eternal summer where the sun shines constantly, the water is always blue and warm, and everyone is beautiful and smiling. Truth is that not everyone is beautiful; some people are downright grumpy (L.A. still has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, which is pretty grumpy if you think about it); the ocean is more grey than blue; and the water is always cold. The only people who go into Southern California waters without a wetsuit in December are tourists.
"I've seen wards set up to harm something that tries to break them, or even mark the intruder with a scar or burn, but I've never seen anyone take imprints before," Rhys said.
"It was clever," Doyle said. Which from him was a great compliment.
"Thank you." I frowned at him. "If you've never seen anyone do something like this with a ward, how did you know what you were seeing through the drapes?"
"Rhys said that he had never seen anything like it. I did not say that."
"Where else did you see it?"
"I am an assassin, a hunter, Princess. Tracks are a very good thing to have."
"The print on its hand will match this, but it won't leave tracks as it travels."
Doyle gave a small shrug. "A pity, it would have been useful."
"You can make a creature of faerie leave magical tracks?" I asked.
"Yes."
"But they would see them with their own magic and ruin the spell." He shrugged. "I've never found the world big enough to hide quarry that I tracked."
"You're always so … perfect," I said.
He glanced past me at the window. "No, my princess, I fear I am not perfect, and our enemies, whoever they may be, know that now."
The breeze had become a wind, billowing out the white drapes. I could see the small-clawed print frozen in the glittering magic. I was half a continent away from the nearest faerie stronghold. I'd thought L.A. was far enough away to keep us safe, but I guess if someone really wants you dead, they'll catch a plane or something with wings. After years of exile I finally had a little slice of home with me. Home never really changed. It had always been lovely, erotic, and very, very dangerous.
Chapter 2
The windows of my office showed a nearly faultless sky, like somebody had taken a single blue cornflower petal and stretched it to fill the air above us. It was one of the most perfect skies I'd ever seen over Los Angeles. The buildings of downtown sparkled in the sunlight. Today was one of those rare days that allows people to pretend that L.A. sits in an eternal summer where the sun shines constantly, the water is always blue and warm, and everyone is beautiful and smiling. Truth is that not everyone is beautiful; some people are downright grumpy (L.A. still has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, which is pretty grumpy if you think about it); the ocean is more grey than blue; and the water is always cold. The only people who go into Southern California waters without a wetsuit in December are tourists.