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his own? He might not forgive her if she lied to him by omission.
He might not anyway.
The only thing that could possibly be worse would be to not tell him at all and
allow him to believe the child was his. And he was bound to if she was so lost to
decency as to give herself to him now without telling him, for she could not be far along
at all.
The wicked desire to deceive Gaelen swept through her so strongly that she sat up
abruptly and moved away from him, struggling with her conscience, with the urge to
confess, and the fear that to do so would ruin any chance that they might be together.
What troubles you?
Lilith glanced at him sharply, biting her lip. She was such a coward! She could
not gather the nerve to tell him for fear he would look at her with loathing and disgust
and she could not go to him for the same reason. And he could not understand if she told
him nothing at all. He would only be hurt, thinking that she had rejected him again.
Of all the unpalatable choices open to her, which would be worse?
I will find the man and kill him if you are afraid that he will return, he said after
a long moment.
Lilith gaped at him. No!
He frowned. You care for the man?
Certainly not! I felt like killing him myself, but you do not take a life unless a
life has been taken! He attacked and he was soundly beaten. It is punishment enough--
LABYRINTH OF THE BEAST Desiree Acuna 95
that and his life, for I have seen his wife and she is an ill tempered female. Not but what
she probably has reason to be for he is shiftless and lazy besides being a coward.
He shrugged. If it is as you say, then he will be no great loss.
You would be a great loss, though! Lilith exclaimed worriedly. I would lose
you and & and I do not think I could bear that. They would not let his death go
unpunished. Leave it. He is not worth it and I am not worried he will come back any
time soon.
Galen considered that in frowning silence for a moment. He was fairly certain the
knave would not be back either, for he had made certain the man knew exactly whom he
would be dealing with, half shifting into his true form so that the man could be in no
doubt that he was the Hawkin who had already proclaimed Lilith as his own. You care
for me?
Lilith bit her lip. Of course I do! How could you think otherwise when I have
been weeping all over you from fear that you were badly hurt?
I am confused, Gaelen said irritably, wondering why, if she spoke the truth, she
was standing on the other side of the room from him instead of making love with him.
Lilith looked at him helplessly for a moment and finally spoke in a rush. I am
with child! she said baldly.
He looked perfectly blank, as well he might, for he had no reason to believe that
she had ever had any man around.
I don t know how it happened, she added hurriedly, hopeful that if she could
explain quickly enough that she could get it said before he exploded in anger. At least, I
am sure I do, except that I do not remember. I woke in the woods naked, and I did not
remember anything.
Gaelen stared at Lilith with a frozen look of dismay as he realized abruptly that he
had fallen into a trap of his own making. In truth, he had not thought beyond discovering
if he would be more pleasing to her if he looked like a man, but she had accepted him,
welcomed his help and his companionship and he had been lulled by a false sense of
security into believing that, at last, he had found the way to win her love.
He could not think what to do or say, but he could see that she was waiting for
him to say something.
I know seemed like the worst possibility, for then she would wonder why, and
she had been enraged with him, he remembered belatedly, when she had discovered
before that he had deceived her about his knowledge of her mother. He did not think that
she would be relieved and happy now if he said that he knew she was breeding because
the child was his. It seemed far more likely that she would become enraged with him and
demand that he go.
Frustration surged through him. He enjoyed pain as much as the next demon, but
he had not endured this kind of torture before and he was beginning to think he would go
mad if she continued to tease him and then change her mind just when she seemed about
to give herself to him.
He did not understand mortals at all, and he especially did not understand mortal
women.
He was tempted to simply tell her that he had deceived her and have an end to it.
LABYRINTH OF THE BEAST Desiree Acuna 96
Somehow, though, he could not seem to bring himself to do that.
She had said she cared for him. Perhaps, if he contained his impatience only a
little longer something would come to him and he would think of a way either to explain
to her why he had done it so that she would not be enraged with him.
Or he would become more adept and she would never find out.
He rather thought it might be best if she never found out, for he had a feeling that
time would do nothing to mitigate her anger if she did.
You are angry with me, she said tentatively.
Brought abruptly from his unpleasant thoughts, Gaelen did his best to clear his
expression. Nay, he denied at once, knowing there was a trap lying in wait for him
somewhere in that comment, but not entirely certain of what it was or how he was going
to avoid falling into it.
I saw it in your eyes, she said accusingly.
I was thinking.
Her eyes narrowed. You were thinking that I am a loose woman.
He was not thinking any such thing, he thought indignantly, because he had no
idea what in Hades she was talking about. He thought it would not be prudent to point
out to her that he could read minds, though, and that it was not an ability that she could
claim.
Nay, I was not! he protested a little weakly, trying to figure out what a loose
woman was and wondering what that had to do with him being angry and her being with
child.
He was in no mood to try to think what it might mean. In the first place, his
desire for her was frying his brain and he could not think much beyond that, and in the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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his own? He might not forgive her if she lied to him by omission.
He might not anyway.
The only thing that could possibly be worse would be to not tell him at all and
allow him to believe the child was his. And he was bound to if she was so lost to
decency as to give herself to him now without telling him, for she could not be far along
at all.
The wicked desire to deceive Gaelen swept through her so strongly that she sat up
abruptly and moved away from him, struggling with her conscience, with the urge to
confess, and the fear that to do so would ruin any chance that they might be together.
What troubles you?
Lilith glanced at him sharply, biting her lip. She was such a coward! She could
not gather the nerve to tell him for fear he would look at her with loathing and disgust
and she could not go to him for the same reason. And he could not understand if she told
him nothing at all. He would only be hurt, thinking that she had rejected him again.
Of all the unpalatable choices open to her, which would be worse?
I will find the man and kill him if you are afraid that he will return, he said after
a long moment.
Lilith gaped at him. No!
He frowned. You care for the man?
Certainly not! I felt like killing him myself, but you do not take a life unless a
life has been taken! He attacked and he was soundly beaten. It is punishment enough--
LABYRINTH OF THE BEAST Desiree Acuna 95
that and his life, for I have seen his wife and she is an ill tempered female. Not but what
she probably has reason to be for he is shiftless and lazy besides being a coward.
He shrugged. If it is as you say, then he will be no great loss.
You would be a great loss, though! Lilith exclaimed worriedly. I would lose
you and & and I do not think I could bear that. They would not let his death go
unpunished. Leave it. He is not worth it and I am not worried he will come back any
time soon.
Galen considered that in frowning silence for a moment. He was fairly certain the
knave would not be back either, for he had made certain the man knew exactly whom he
would be dealing with, half shifting into his true form so that the man could be in no
doubt that he was the Hawkin who had already proclaimed Lilith as his own. You care
for me?
Lilith bit her lip. Of course I do! How could you think otherwise when I have
been weeping all over you from fear that you were badly hurt?
I am confused, Gaelen said irritably, wondering why, if she spoke the truth, she
was standing on the other side of the room from him instead of making love with him.
Lilith looked at him helplessly for a moment and finally spoke in a rush. I am
with child! she said baldly.
He looked perfectly blank, as well he might, for he had no reason to believe that
she had ever had any man around.
I don t know how it happened, she added hurriedly, hopeful that if she could
explain quickly enough that she could get it said before he exploded in anger. At least, I
am sure I do, except that I do not remember. I woke in the woods naked, and I did not
remember anything.
Gaelen stared at Lilith with a frozen look of dismay as he realized abruptly that he
had fallen into a trap of his own making. In truth, he had not thought beyond discovering
if he would be more pleasing to her if he looked like a man, but she had accepted him,
welcomed his help and his companionship and he had been lulled by a false sense of
security into believing that, at last, he had found the way to win her love.
He could not think what to do or say, but he could see that she was waiting for
him to say something.
I know seemed like the worst possibility, for then she would wonder why, and
she had been enraged with him, he remembered belatedly, when she had discovered
before that he had deceived her about his knowledge of her mother. He did not think that
she would be relieved and happy now if he said that he knew she was breeding because
the child was his. It seemed far more likely that she would become enraged with him and
demand that he go.
Frustration surged through him. He enjoyed pain as much as the next demon, but
he had not endured this kind of torture before and he was beginning to think he would go
mad if she continued to tease him and then change her mind just when she seemed about
to give herself to him.
He did not understand mortals at all, and he especially did not understand mortal
women.
He was tempted to simply tell her that he had deceived her and have an end to it.
LABYRINTH OF THE BEAST Desiree Acuna 96
Somehow, though, he could not seem to bring himself to do that.
She had said she cared for him. Perhaps, if he contained his impatience only a
little longer something would come to him and he would think of a way either to explain
to her why he had done it so that she would not be enraged with him.
Or he would become more adept and she would never find out.
He rather thought it might be best if she never found out, for he had a feeling that
time would do nothing to mitigate her anger if she did.
You are angry with me, she said tentatively.
Brought abruptly from his unpleasant thoughts, Gaelen did his best to clear his
expression. Nay, he denied at once, knowing there was a trap lying in wait for him
somewhere in that comment, but not entirely certain of what it was or how he was going
to avoid falling into it.
I saw it in your eyes, she said accusingly.
I was thinking.
Her eyes narrowed. You were thinking that I am a loose woman.
He was not thinking any such thing, he thought indignantly, because he had no
idea what in Hades she was talking about. He thought it would not be prudent to point
out to her that he could read minds, though, and that it was not an ability that she could
claim.
Nay, I was not! he protested a little weakly, trying to figure out what a loose
woman was and wondering what that had to do with him being angry and her being with
child.
He was in no mood to try to think what it might mean. In the first place, his
desire for her was frying his brain and he could not think much beyond that, and in the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]