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Danse Macabre :: Гамильтон Лорел
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«You could not have taught her control of this, not when the ardeur was fresh, Jean-Claude,» Requiem said. «I was with Ligeia from the moment she gained the power. The first few months are a wild thing. I thought she would go mad with it.» He gripped Jean-Claude's shoulder. «My understanding is the ardeur rose for the first time with Micah. There was no controlling it.» He looked at me, and at Micah. «It has actually worked out extremely well for all concerned.»
I turned and looked at Micah, and Nathaniel. «I trapped you both. I rolled you.»
They exchanged a look, then both looked back at me. «We love you,» Micah said.
Nathaniel moved in, as if he'd hug me. I moved farther down the wall, out of reach. «But it's all vampire powers. It's a lie — doesn't that ruin it for you? I trapped you. I trapped you both; it's worse than what Auggie did to us. It's not fake, it's like real love. I made you both fall in love with me, that's like evil.»
«If you made us fall in love with you, but didn't love us back, maybe it would be evil,» Micah said, «but you do love us back.»
«But it's a lie, Micah. It's all a lie.»
He gave me a look, that look that said I was being silly. But I wasn't being silly, was I? «I've been in love before, Anita, remember.»
«Becky, your high school sweetheart, college fiancée,» I said.
He nodded. «That was real, Anita. She was the love of my life, and if she hadn't dumped me, I wouldn't have known that love could get any better than that.»
Becky had dumped him when he survived the attack that made him a wereleopard. She just couldn't handle his being furry once a month. Of course, she'd had other problems with him before that. What I thought was a huge bonus, she'd thought was a huge downside.
Micah stepped toward me.
I slid along the wall, my hand out. I didn't want him to touch me, not right then. Mainly because if he did, I'd lose this fight. I'd always wondered at how my body reacted to him. No one had that effect on me, not to that degree. Now I knew it was vampire mind tricks, but I was the vampire who had done it. Fuck.
«I know what true love feels like, Anita. This is it. We are all happier than we've ever been. The only thing that will spoil what we have is if you freak about this.»
«How can I not freak about this, Micah?»
I felt movement, a second before hands touched me. The hands brushed my bare arms, and I felt calmer. I leaned back against Damian's body, let his arms enfold me. The fear, anger, confusion, just washed away. The iron control of his emotions that he had learned at the hands of his creator was what he shared with me.
«You could not have taught her control of this, not when the ardeur was fresh, Jean-Claude,» Requiem said. «I was with Ligeia from the moment she gained the power. The first few months are a wild thing. I thought she would go mad with it.» He gripped Jean-Claude's shoulder. «My understanding is the ardeur rose for the first time with Micah. There was no controlling it.» He looked at me, and at Micah. «It has actually worked out extremely well for all concerned.»
I turned and looked at Micah, and Nathaniel. «I trapped you both. I rolled you.»
They exchanged a look, then both looked back at me. «We love you,» Micah said.
Nathaniel moved in, as if he'd hug me. I moved farther down the wall, out of reach. «But it's all vampire powers. It's a lie — doesn't that ruin it for you? I trapped you. I trapped you both; it's worse than what Auggie did to us. It's not fake, it's like real love. I made you both fall in love with me, that's like evil.»
«If you made us fall in love with you, but didn't love us back, maybe it would be evil,» Micah said, «but you do love us back.»
«But it's a lie, Micah. It's all a lie.»
He gave me a look, that look that said I was being silly. But I wasn't being silly, was I? «I've been in love before, Anita, remember.»
«Becky, your high school sweetheart, college fiancée,» I said.
He nodded. «That was real, Anita. She was the love of my life, and if she hadn't dumped me, I wouldn't have known that love could get any better than that.»
Becky had dumped him when he survived the attack that made him a wereleopard. She just couldn't handle his being furry once a month. Of course, she'd had other problems with him before that. What I thought was a huge bonus, she'd thought was a huge downside.
Micah stepped toward me.
I slid along the wall, my hand out. I didn't want him to touch me, not right then. Mainly because if he did, I'd lose this fight. I'd always wondered at how my body reacted to him. No one had that effect on me, not to that degree. Now I knew it was vampire mind tricks, but I was the vampire who had done it. Fuck.
«I know what true love feels like, Anita. This is it. We are all happier than we've ever been. The only thing that will spoil what we have is if you freak about this.»
«How can I not freak about this, Micah?»
I felt movement, a second before hands touched me. The hands brushed my bare arms, and I felt calmer. I leaned back against Damian's body, let his arms enfold me. The fear, anger, confusion, just washed away. The iron control of his emotions that he had learned at the hands of his creator was what he shared with me.