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Bloody Bones :: Гамильтон Лорел
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I stared at him. "You don't strike me as the self-sacrificing kind."
He shrugged. "We all have our moments."
"Would it make this an easier choice if I swore that if your young man takes the girl's place we will not cripple him?"
"How about kill him?" I said. "You can die of shock from a whipping."
"No killing, no crippling. We simply want our pound of flesh, and a quart of blood."
Something must have shown on our faces, because he laughed. "Figuratively speaking, of course. You will wear scars until you die, but no greater harm."
"This is ridiculous," I said. "We aren't going to do this."
"If we pull our guns, can we take them?" Larry asked.
I looked away from his earnest eyes. He touched my arm. "Anita?"
"We can take some of them with us," I said.
"But we'll still be dead, and once we're dead who'll help the girls?"
I shook my head. "There's got to be a better way."
Larry looked at Jean-Claude. "Will he keep his word? Will they not kill me?"
"Janos's word has always been reliable, or at least it was a couple of centuries ago."
"Can we trust them?" Jason asked.
"No," I said.
"Yes," Jean-Claude said.
I glared at him.
"I know you would rather shoot it out, but you would only succeed in getting us all killed. Or perhaps some of us made into vampires."
Larry touched my shoulders. He made me look at him. "It's alright."
"It's not alright," I said.
"Fine, but it's the best we can do right now."
"Don't do this."
"I don't have a choice," he said. "Besides, I'm a big boy, remember? I can take care of myself."
I hugged him. I didn't know what else to do.
"I'll be alright," he whispered.
I just nodded. I didn't trust my voice, and I try never to lie to my friends. He would not be alright. I knew it. He knew it. We all knew it.
Jason walked away from us towards the vampires. "Oh, no, my good shapeshifter, we don't want you chained to a wall."
"But you said. ."
"I said you could save the girls, but not like that. Let the human take his lashes. All you must agree to is satisfying the desires of my two helpers, Bettina and Pallas."
Jason stared at the two vampires. They'd turned to face us. I suddenly tried to see them from the viewpoint of a twenty-year-old male. They were chesty, slim waisted; if Pallas's face was a little too witchy-looking for my taste, and Bettina's eyes too small, that was just me.
I stared at him. "You don't strike me as the self-sacrificing kind."
He shrugged. "We all have our moments."
"Would it make this an easier choice if I swore that if your young man takes the girl's place we will not cripple him?"
"How about kill him?" I said. "You can die of shock from a whipping."
"No killing, no crippling. We simply want our pound of flesh, and a quart of blood."
Something must have shown on our faces, because he laughed. "Figuratively speaking, of course. You will wear scars until you die, but no greater harm."
"This is ridiculous," I said. "We aren't going to do this."
"If we pull our guns, can we take them?" Larry asked.
I looked away from his earnest eyes. He touched my arm. "Anita?"
"We can take some of them with us," I said.
"But we'll still be dead, and once we're dead who'll help the girls?"
I shook my head. "There's got to be a better way."
Larry looked at Jean-Claude. "Will he keep his word? Will they not kill me?"
"Janos's word has always been reliable, or at least it was a couple of centuries ago."
"Can we trust them?" Jason asked.
"No," I said.
"Yes," Jean-Claude said.
I glared at him.
"I know you would rather shoot it out, but you would only succeed in getting us all killed. Or perhaps some of us made into vampires."
Larry touched my shoulders. He made me look at him. "It's alright."
"It's not alright," I said.
"Fine, but it's the best we can do right now."
"Don't do this."
"I don't have a choice," he said. "Besides, I'm a big boy, remember? I can take care of myself."
I hugged him. I didn't know what else to do.
"I'll be alright," he whispered.
I just nodded. I didn't trust my voice, and I try never to lie to my friends. He would not be alright. I knew it. He knew it. We all knew it.
Jason walked away from us towards the vampires. "Oh, no, my good shapeshifter, we don't want you chained to a wall."
"But you said. ."
"I said you could save the girls, but not like that. Let the human take his lashes. All you must agree to is satisfying the desires of my two helpers, Bettina and Pallas."
Jason stared at the two vampires. They'd turned to face us. I suddenly tried to see them from the viewpoint of a twenty-year-old male. They were chesty, slim waisted; if Pallas's face was a little too witchy-looking for my taste, and Bettina's eyes too small, that was just me.