JК
Bloody Bones :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 167 из 272"If you're not trying to goadus into breaking the truce, then what the hell do you want?"
"Want?" Janos said. "Want? Why, many things, Anita."
I was beginning to hate the way he said my name, sort of half-amused, and intimate, like we were friends, or close enemies.
"What do you want, Janos?"
"Shouldn't you be negotiating for your people?" he asked Jean-Claude.
"Anita does well enough on her own," Jean-Claude said.
Janos gave another rictus smile. "Very well. What do we want?"
The vampires went to the girls. They held up the whips so the two girls could see them.
"What is that?" the blonde asked. "What is that?" Her voice was high and bubbly with fear.
"It's a whip," the second girl said. Firm and clipped, her voice did not betray her the way her trembling body did.
The two vampires backed away, just enough for good whipping distance, I guess.
"What the bloody hell do you want?" I asked.
"Are you familiar with the term 'whipping boy'?" Janos asked.
"It was a person used by royalty to be beaten in the place of the royal heir."
"Very good; so few young people have a sense of history."
"What does the history lesson have to do with anything?"
"The girls are whipping boys for your two young men," Janos said.
The two vampires snaked the whips along the floor, and cracked them nearly in unison, but neither whip touched the girls. The second girl screamed, a short, clipped sound, when the whip whistled into the wall next to her. The blonde just sank against the wall, sobbing, "Please, please, please," over and over in a ragged voice.
"Don't hurt them," Larry said. "Please."
"Would you take her place?" Janos asked.
I finally understood where we were heading. "You can't hurt us without our cooperation. You treacherous son of a bitch."
He smiled. "Answer me, lad. Would you take her place?"
Larry nodded.
I grabbed his arm. "No."
"Surely it is his choice," Janos said.
"Let go of my arm, Anita."
I stared at his eyes, searching to see if he understood what he was doing. "You don't know what a whip will do to human flesh. You don't know what you're offering."
"We can remedy that," Janos said. The vampires ripped the backs of the girls' blouses with a harsh, quick tearing.
The blonde screamed.
"We can't just watch," Larry said.
He was right; whether I liked it or not, he was right.
"I've seen what a whip can do," Jason said suddenly. "Don't hurt them.
"Want?" Janos said. "Want? Why, many things, Anita."
I was beginning to hate the way he said my name, sort of half-amused, and intimate, like we were friends, or close enemies.
"What do you want, Janos?"
"Shouldn't you be negotiating for your people?" he asked Jean-Claude.
"Anita does well enough on her own," Jean-Claude said.
Janos gave another rictus smile. "Very well. What do we want?"
The vampires went to the girls. They held up the whips so the two girls could see them.
"What is that?" the blonde asked. "What is that?" Her voice was high and bubbly with fear.
"It's a whip," the second girl said. Firm and clipped, her voice did not betray her the way her trembling body did.
The two vampires backed away, just enough for good whipping distance, I guess.
"What the bloody hell do you want?" I asked.
"Are you familiar with the term 'whipping boy'?" Janos asked.
"It was a person used by royalty to be beaten in the place of the royal heir."
"Very good; so few young people have a sense of history."
"What does the history lesson have to do with anything?"
"The girls are whipping boys for your two young men," Janos said.
The two vampires snaked the whips along the floor, and cracked them nearly in unison, but neither whip touched the girls. The second girl screamed, a short, clipped sound, when the whip whistled into the wall next to her. The blonde just sank against the wall, sobbing, "Please, please, please," over and over in a ragged voice.
"Don't hurt them," Larry said. "Please."
"Would you take her place?" Janos asked.
I finally understood where we were heading. "You can't hurt us without our cooperation. You treacherous son of a bitch."
He smiled. "Answer me, lad. Would you take her place?"
Larry nodded.
I grabbed his arm. "No."
"Surely it is his choice," Janos said.
"Let go of my arm, Anita."
I stared at his eyes, searching to see if he understood what he was doing. "You don't know what a whip will do to human flesh. You don't know what you're offering."
"We can remedy that," Janos said. The vampires ripped the backs of the girls' blouses with a harsh, quick tearing.
The blonde screamed.
"We can't just watch," Larry said.
He was right; whether I liked it or not, he was right.
"I've seen what a whip can do," Jason said suddenly. "Don't hurt them.