JК
Danse Macabre :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 44 из 427«It should be only a touch of powers, like two leviathans moving in the deep, sliding their sides against each other, then passing away into the dark depths of the sea.»
I felt calmer, as if I could feel those dark, peaceful depths.
« Should be,» Micah said. «What else could happen?»
«It could call your ardeur to the surface and you would be forced to feed.»
I was suddenly tense again, the peaceful dark depths gone like smoke in the wind. «No,» I said.
Nathaniel whispered in my ear. «You can feed from me without intercourse, Anita. It's a way of getting rid of them.»
Micah looked at me. «Only you can decide if the chance of having to feed the ardeur here and now is worth it, Anita.»
I looked at the sons. The twins looked at me, smiling, somewhere between amused and embarrassed. But it was the kind of embarrassment that any teenager would have felt if his mom did something that made him squirm. The older one, behind the love seat, looked more like I felt, uncomfortable as hell.
«You must be Sampson,» I said.
He looked startled, then nodded. «I am.»
«What do you think about all this? I mean, do you want to be brought into your sirenhood?»
He looked down, then up. «Do you know that you are the first person to ask me how I feel about this?»
I let the surprise show on my face.
«It's no reflection on my parents. They love me. Us. But Father is over a thousand years old, and Mother is older still. Arranged marriages don't seem strange to them, and they both would love to have one of us be as powerful as Mother. It would cement our power base along the entire eastern seaboard of this country. I understand all that, or I wouldn't be standing here.»
«But,» I said.
He smiled, and it was his father's smile. «But, I don't know you. The thought of being forced to have sex with anyone is just… wrong.»
I looked at the twins. «And you, Thomas and Cristos, right?»
They nodded.
«How do you feel about this?»
They looked at each other, then one blushed and the other didn't. The one who didn't blush said, «I'm Thomas, Tom, when Mom's not around to complain.» He gave her a smile out of his father's hazel eyes. «I saw pictures of you before we came. I knew you were pretty, and» — now he blushed, bit his lip, and tried again — «I would love to have an excuse to have sex with you. There, that's the truth.»
«How old are you?» I asked.
He glanced at his parents.
«Don't look at them, answer the question.
I felt calmer, as if I could feel those dark, peaceful depths.
« Should be,» Micah said. «What else could happen?»
«It could call your ardeur to the surface and you would be forced to feed.»
I was suddenly tense again, the peaceful dark depths gone like smoke in the wind. «No,» I said.
Nathaniel whispered in my ear. «You can feed from me without intercourse, Anita. It's a way of getting rid of them.»
Micah looked at me. «Only you can decide if the chance of having to feed the ardeur here and now is worth it, Anita.»
I looked at the sons. The twins looked at me, smiling, somewhere between amused and embarrassed. But it was the kind of embarrassment that any teenager would have felt if his mom did something that made him squirm. The older one, behind the love seat, looked more like I felt, uncomfortable as hell.
«You must be Sampson,» I said.
He looked startled, then nodded. «I am.»
«What do you think about all this? I mean, do you want to be brought into your sirenhood?»
He looked down, then up. «Do you know that you are the first person to ask me how I feel about this?»
I let the surprise show on my face.
«It's no reflection on my parents. They love me. Us. But Father is over a thousand years old, and Mother is older still. Arranged marriages don't seem strange to them, and they both would love to have one of us be as powerful as Mother. It would cement our power base along the entire eastern seaboard of this country. I understand all that, or I wouldn't be standing here.»
«But,» I said.
He smiled, and it was his father's smile. «But, I don't know you. The thought of being forced to have sex with anyone is just… wrong.»
I looked at the twins. «And you, Thomas and Cristos, right?»
They nodded.
«How do you feel about this?»
They looked at each other, then one blushed and the other didn't. The one who didn't blush said, «I'm Thomas, Tom, when Mom's not around to complain.» He gave her a smile out of his father's hazel eyes. «I saw pictures of you before we came. I knew you were pretty, and» — now he blushed, bit his lip, and tried again — «I would love to have an excuse to have sex with you. There, that's the truth.»
«How old are you?» I asked.
He glanced at his parents.
«Don't look at them, answer the question.