I can't let her do that to Delosbut how can istop her? There's no way. If she sees me, it's allover... .
"There," Sylvia said. "That should hold you fora while."
Maggie ground her teeth.
But at least maybe she'll go now, she thought. Itfeels like about a century I've been sitting in herelistening to her. And this stool isn't getting anymore comfortable.
"Now," Sylvia said briskly, tidying. "Just let meput your gloves away-"
Oh, no,Maggie thought, horrified. On the shelf beside her was a pile of gloves.
"No,"Delos said, so quickly it was almost anecho. "I need them."
"Don't be silly. You're not going out again-"
"I'll take them." Delos had wonderful reflexes. Heput himself between Sylvia and the wardrobe, andan instant later he was holding on to the gloves,almost tugging them from her hands.
Sylvia looked up at him wonderingly for a longmoment. Maggie could see her face, the creamy skin delicately flushed, and her eyes, the color of
r-drenched violets. She could see the shimmerof her pale blondhairas Sylvia shook her head slightly.
Delos stared down at her implacably.
Then Sylvia shrugged her ft-agile shoulders andletgo of the gloves.
"I'll go see to the feast," she said lightly andsmiled. She picked up her basket and moved gracefully to the door.
Delos watched her go.
Maggiesimply sat, speechless and paralyzed.When Delos followed Sylvia and closed the door firmly behind her, she made herself get slowly offthe stool. She backed away from the curtainsslightly, but she could still see a strip of thebedroom.
Delos walked unerringly straight to the wardrobe."You can come out now," he said, his voice flatand hard.
Maggie shut her eyes.
Great. Well, I should have known.
But he hadn't let Sylvia come in and discoverher, and he hadn't simply turned her over to his guards. Those were very good signs, she told herself stoutly. In fact, maybe she wasn't going to haveto persuade him of anything at all; maybe he wasalready going to be reasonable.
"Or do I have to come in?" Delos said dangerously.
Or maybe not, Maggie thought.
She felt a sudden idiotic desire to get the dust out of her hair. She shook her head a few times, brushing at it, then gave up.
Terribly conscious of her smudged face and slaveclothing, she parted the linen hangings andwalked out.
"I warned you," Delos said.
He was facing her squarely, his jaw set and hismouth as grimas she had ever seen it. His eyeswere hooded, a dull and eerie gold in the shadows.He looked every inch the dark and mysterious vam pire prince.
And here I am, Maggie thought. Looking like...well, like vermin, I bet. Like something fished outof the gutter. Not much of a representative forhumanity.
She had never cared about clothes or hairstylesor things like that, but just now she wished thatshe could at least look presentable. Since the fateof the world might just depend on her.
Even so, there was something in the air betweenDelos and herself. A sort of quivering aliveness that quickened the blood in Maggie's veins. That stirredsomething in her chest, and started her heartpounding with an odd mixture of fear and hope.
She faced Delos just assquarelyashe was facing her.
"I know some things that I think you need toknow," she said quietly.
He ignored that. "I told you what would happenif you came here. I told you I wouldn't protectyou again."
"I remember. But you didprotect me again. AndI thank you-but I really think I'd better tell youwhat's going on. Sylvia is the suspicious type, andif she's gone to Hunter Redfern to say that youdon't want people looking in your closet-"
"Don't you understand?"he said with such sudden violence that Maggie's throat closed, chokingoff her words. She stared at him. "You're so closeto dying, but you don't seem to care. Are you toostupid to grasp it, or do you just have a deathwish?"
The thumping in Maggie's chest now was definitelyfear.
"I do understand," she began slowly, when shecould get her voice to work.
"No, you don't, "he said. `But I'll make you."
All at once his eyes were blazing. Not just theirnormal brilliant yellow, but a dazzling and unnatural gold that seemed to hold its own light.
Even though Maggie had seen it before, it wasstill a shock to watch his features change. His face going paler, even more beautiful and clearly defined, chiseled in ice. His pupils widening like a predator's, holding a darkness that a human coulddrown in. And that proud and willful mouth twist ing in anger.
It all happened in a second or so. And then hewas advancing on her, with dark fire in his eyes,and his lips pulling back from his teeth.
Maggie stared at the fangs, helplessly horrifiedall over again. They were even sharper than she remembered them looking. They indented hislower lip on either side, even with his mouth partly .open. And, yes, they were definitely scary.
"This is what I am," Delos said, speaking easily around the fangs. "A hunting animal. Part of a world of darkness that you couldn't survive for aminute in. I've told you over and over to stay awayfrom it, but you won't listen. You turn up in my own castle, and you just won't believe your danger.So now I'm going to show you."
Maggie took a step backward. She wasn't in agood position; the wall was behind her and thehuge bed was on her left. Delos was between her and the door. And she had already seen how fasthis reflexes were.
Her legs felt unsteady; her pulse was beating erratically. Her breath was coming fast.
He doesn't really mean ithe won't really do it.
He isn't serious....
But for all her mind's desperate chanting, panicwas beginning to riot inside her. The instincts of forgotten ancestors, long buried, were surfacing.Some ancient part of her remembered being chased by hunting animals, being prey.