JК
Danse Macabre :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 410 из 427»
«Can you, truly?»
I realized that I'd said too much, overshared. «I am too tired to play games tonight, Merlin. When she mind-fucked us both tonight a well-meaning friend gave me a cross to hold.»
«Oh, dear,» he said.
I raised my left hand so he could see the new scar.
«How did you heal it so quickly? A holy item heals slowly for us.»
I put my hand back on top of Damian's. «I'm not a vampire, Merlin, I'm a necromancer. It's just another kind of psychic gift. It doesn't make me evil.»
«And are we evil, merely because we are vampires?»
The question was too hard for me with a vampire in each hand. «I'm too tired to debate philosophy with you. It took energy to heal this.»
«We felt you feed,» Adonis said.
I fought not to look at him again. «Yeah, I fed, but it wasn't enough. Dealing with Mommie Dearest takes a lot out of a girl.»
«It takes a great deal out of everyone,» Merlin said.
I wondered for the first time if the reason he hadn't done some major mind control after the mother left wasn't just to be polite, but because he was scared. Maybe he didn't have enough juice left. Maybe he, like me, was drained of energy.
«She can feed off other vampires, just by touching their powers, can't she?»
«Why do you ask?»
«She almost always comes to me after some other vampire has used major power on me. She used to follow Belle Morte's mind games. Tonight it was you that she followed. Does she feed off us when she does this?»
«Sometimes,» he said.
«So she hasn't been asleep and not feeding for thousands of years. She's been like some kind of dark dream, feeding on energy, on power.»
«I believe so.»
«Why did she go to sleep in the first place?»
«How should I know?»
«Avoiding the question, aren't you?»
He gave a small smile. «Perhaps.»
«Do you know why she went to sleep?»
«Yes.»
«Will you tell me?»
«No.»
«Why not?»
«Because it is not a story I wish to share.»
«I can't make you tell me, can I?»
«You could try to see if you are necromancer enough to command me to tell you.»
I grinned. «My ego isn't that big.»
«More of the mother's servants have woken. Most of the council, like Belle Morte, believe it is their own growing powers that have broken the servants from their long sleeps.
«Can you, truly?»
I realized that I'd said too much, overshared. «I am too tired to play games tonight, Merlin. When she mind-fucked us both tonight a well-meaning friend gave me a cross to hold.»
«Oh, dear,» he said.
I raised my left hand so he could see the new scar.
«How did you heal it so quickly? A holy item heals slowly for us.»
I put my hand back on top of Damian's. «I'm not a vampire, Merlin, I'm a necromancer. It's just another kind of psychic gift. It doesn't make me evil.»
«And are we evil, merely because we are vampires?»
The question was too hard for me with a vampire in each hand. «I'm too tired to debate philosophy with you. It took energy to heal this.»
«We felt you feed,» Adonis said.
I fought not to look at him again. «Yeah, I fed, but it wasn't enough. Dealing with Mommie Dearest takes a lot out of a girl.»
«It takes a great deal out of everyone,» Merlin said.
I wondered for the first time if the reason he hadn't done some major mind control after the mother left wasn't just to be polite, but because he was scared. Maybe he didn't have enough juice left. Maybe he, like me, was drained of energy.
«She can feed off other vampires, just by touching their powers, can't she?»
«Why do you ask?»
«She almost always comes to me after some other vampire has used major power on me. She used to follow Belle Morte's mind games. Tonight it was you that she followed. Does she feed off us when she does this?»
«Sometimes,» he said.
«So she hasn't been asleep and not feeding for thousands of years. She's been like some kind of dark dream, feeding on energy, on power.»
«I believe so.»
«Why did she go to sleep in the first place?»
«How should I know?»
«Avoiding the question, aren't you?»
He gave a small smile. «Perhaps.»
«Do you know why she went to sleep?»
«Yes.»
«Will you tell me?»
«No.»
«Why not?»
«Because it is not a story I wish to share.»
«I can't make you tell me, can I?»
«You could try to see if you are necromancer enough to command me to tell you.»
I grinned. «My ego isn't that big.»
«More of the mother's servants have woken. Most of the council, like Belle Morte, believe it is their own growing powers that have broken the servants from their long sleeps.