JК
Guilty Pleasures :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 22 из 205Dammit, I should never have left her here, never!
The vampire touched her shoulder. She blinked and stared around, surprised, scared. She gave a nervous laugh. “What happened?”
The vampire raised her hand to his lips. “You are now under my power, my lovely one.”
She laughed again, not understanding that he had told her the absolute truth. He led her to the edge of the stage, and two waiters helped her back to her seat. “I feel fuzzy,” she said.
Monica patted her hand. “You were great.”
“What did I do?”
“I'll tell you later. The show's not over yet.” She stared at me when she said the last.
I already knew I was in trouble. The vampire on the stage was staring at me. It was like weight against my skin. His will, force, personality, whatever it was, beat against me. I could feel it like a pulsing wind. The skin on my arms crawled with it.
“I am Aubrey,” the vampire said. “Give me your name.”
My mouth was suddenly dry, but my name was not important. He could have that. “Anita.”
“Anita. How pretty.”
My knees sort of buckled and spilled me into a chair. Monica was staring at me, eyes enormous and eager.
“Come, Anita, join me on the stage.” His voice wasn't as good as Jean-Claude's, it just wasn't. There was no texture to it, but the mind behind the voice was like nothing I had ever felt. It was ancient, terribly ancient. The force of his mind made my bones ache.
“Come.”
I kept shaking my head, over and over. It was all I could do. No words, no real thoughts, but I knew I could not get out of this chair. If I came to him now, he would have power over me just as he did Catherine. Sweat soaked through the back of my blouse.
“Come to me, now!”
I was standing, and I didn't remember doing it. Dear God, help me! “No!” I dug my fingernails into the palm of my hand. I tore my own skin and welcomed the pain. I could breathe again.
His mind receded like the ocean pulling back. I felt lightheaded, empty. I slumped against the table. One of the vampire waiters was at my side. “Don't fight him. He gets angry if you fight him.”
I pushed him away. “If I don't fight him, he'll own me!”
The waiter looked almost human, one of the new dead. There was a look on his face. It was fear.
I called to the thing on the stage, “I'll come to the stage if you don't force me.”
Monica gasped. I ignored her. Nothing mattered but getting through the next few moments.
“Then by all means, come,” the vampire said.
The vampire touched her shoulder. She blinked and stared around, surprised, scared. She gave a nervous laugh. “What happened?”
The vampire raised her hand to his lips. “You are now under my power, my lovely one.”
She laughed again, not understanding that he had told her the absolute truth. He led her to the edge of the stage, and two waiters helped her back to her seat. “I feel fuzzy,” she said.
Monica patted her hand. “You were great.”
“What did I do?”
“I'll tell you later. The show's not over yet.” She stared at me when she said the last.
I already knew I was in trouble. The vampire on the stage was staring at me. It was like weight against my skin. His will, force, personality, whatever it was, beat against me. I could feel it like a pulsing wind. The skin on my arms crawled with it.
“I am Aubrey,” the vampire said. “Give me your name.”
My mouth was suddenly dry, but my name was not important. He could have that. “Anita.”
“Anita. How pretty.”
My knees sort of buckled and spilled me into a chair. Monica was staring at me, eyes enormous and eager.
“Come, Anita, join me on the stage.” His voice wasn't as good as Jean-Claude's, it just wasn't. There was no texture to it, but the mind behind the voice was like nothing I had ever felt. It was ancient, terribly ancient. The force of his mind made my bones ache.
“Come.”
I kept shaking my head, over and over. It was all I could do. No words, no real thoughts, but I knew I could not get out of this chair. If I came to him now, he would have power over me just as he did Catherine. Sweat soaked through the back of my blouse.
“Come to me, now!”
I was standing, and I didn't remember doing it. Dear God, help me! “No!” I dug my fingernails into the palm of my hand. I tore my own skin and welcomed the pain. I could breathe again.
His mind receded like the ocean pulling back. I felt lightheaded, empty. I slumped against the table. One of the vampire waiters was at my side. “Don't fight him. He gets angry if you fight him.”
I pushed him away. “If I don't fight him, he'll own me!”
The waiter looked almost human, one of the new dead. There was a look on his face. It was fear.
I called to the thing on the stage, “I'll come to the stage if you don't force me.”
Monica gasped. I ignored her. Nothing mattered but getting through the next few moments.
“Then by all means, come,” the vampire said.