"Anne Bishop - Black Jewels 00 - The Invisible Ring" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bishop Anne)

Fear shivered through him. Now that he'd committed himself to opposing her,
he couldn't back down and hope to remain intact. All right then. Balls and
sass. He put all the arrogance and temper he could summon into his voice.
"Lady! It's the males' right to discipline their own." That was true in a
court. It was true in a Blood community. Slaves didn't have that privilege,
but he was hoping she was too angry to remember that. Apparently she was
because she stopped struggling. As he loosened his grip on her arms, her
hands tightened on his coat, and he realized she couldn't put her weight on
her right leg. Sliding one arm around her waist, he pulled her tight against
him to support and distract her-and found himself distracted by the way his
body responded to being so close to hers. A hint of wildness floated up from
somewhere deep inside him. Following that instinct, Jared wrapped a faint
seduction spell around her as he lightly kissed her lips. When he was done,
she just stared at him. Well, good. Now he wasn't the only one feeling
confused.
"Let us take care of the discipline," he coaxed as he stroked her wrinkled
cheek with a finger and wondered why her skin felt so delightfully soft.
"Believe me, having been boys ourselves, we're better at it."
He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
"All right," she finally said. "Just . . . keep him away from me."
"It will be our pleasure, Lady."
Her lips curved in a reluctant smile. "I think this is what my father calls
'things it's best a Queen pretend not to know.' "
Calls? Her father was still alive?
"I'd say that's just about right." Jared put some sass into his answering
smile and watched, amazed, as color flooded her cheeks. Looking around, she
finally noticed Brock and Randolf holding Eryk and Tomas, and Blaed and
Thayne watching everything while they soothed the nervous horses. Twisting
her upper body in the other direction, she met Thera's frosted stare. The
color in her cheeks deepened. Feeling absurdly protective, Jared glared at
Thera. She met him, look for look, and finally said in a voice so carefully
neutral everyone knew she wanted to tear strips out of somebody, "Are you
intending to help her into the wagon anytime soon, or are you waiting for
that knee to swell up to the size of a melon?"
The Gray Lady let put a startled squawk when he swung her up into his arms
and carried her into the wagon. Settling her on a bench cushioned by a
couple of blankets, he knelt in front of her. Thank the Darkness his mother
had taught him a little healing Craft. He couldn't do anywhere near as much
as a Healer could, but at least he could do something to help her. Except he
didn't have a chance. He'd just pulled off her boot and was debating how to
broach the necessity of removing her trousers when Thera stormed into the
wagon, followed by Polli, who stared at him as if removing a boot was a
prelude to rape.
"We'll look after her," Thera said coolly. "You've other business to attend
to."
Setting the boot on the floor, Jared rose slowly.
Polli pressed herself into a corner and started muttering about it being her
moontime, her stock reaction to being within a male's reach. Thera's answer
to the unspoken challenge was to turn aside just enough for him to reach the
door and leave. He wasn't sure if it was seeing the Gray Lady in pain or