[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
them!
Cara supposed she could understand that. It seemed to her that she hadn t
changed all that much in the intervening years, but she supposed, wryly, that that might
only mean she really hadn t matured much. Did they ever say why they wanted me?
She could see by the way her mother was twitching that she didn t really want to
answer that. The prince suggested it. Their council was considering allying themselves
with us by marriage. He said he would be agreeable if it was you.
He called me by name?
Cara of the beautiful red hair, she said a little dryly. It was pretty hard to
pretend we didn t know who they were talking about.
So & he d seen me?
Her mother shrugged. I suppose. I can t think of any other way he would ve
known about the hair. She frowned. Actually, I hadn t really thought about it before,
but he knew your name. Maybe it was just that he asked for the girl with the red hair and
the council told him your name? She fixed her daughter with a firm look. You didn t
meet him?
I d never met any of them.
Dismissing it, her mother rose. That was all a long time ago. I don t know why
you d even bring it up.
You should ve told me, Cara said. Even if I was too young to make that kind
CHAMELEON Angelique Anjou 38
of decision myself, you should ve told me.
Her mother looked angry. Well! Now you know! Although I d still like to
know what busybody decided to tell you!
Cara smiled wanly. Which is exactly why I m not telling.
She stopped her mother again when she reached the door. If I had married into
the Urza tribe, how would you have felt about it?
Horrified! her mother said emphatically. Don t tell me you ve seen one and
developed some fanciful idea of romance? They re savages! Believe me. I don t care
what they look like or how handsome they might seem to be, they re savages!
Anger surged through Cara. You have absolutely no basis for that assumption,
mother! They have never behaved like savages toward any of the colonists. We ve been
at peace with them since we came!
Her mother looked at her hard. Primitives, she said. You re right. I shouldn t
have called them savages, but they are primitives by our standards. You ve hated the
colony ever since we came because we left so much behind and, believe me, as primitive
as the colony is by Earth standards, it s still light years ahead of the natives!
Cara shook her head at her mother. I hated leaving my friends and everything I
knew, that I was comfortable with. It was never about things, mother.
CHAMELEON Angelique Anjou 39
Chapter Six
Nouri wondered if he d realized just how miserable it would make him to leave
Cara after he d made love to her if he would ve made the same decision. He didn t
know, but he was fairly certain that it hadn t actually been a decision any of the time. He
didn t think he could ve stopped if the world had collapsed around him.
Of course, in a sense it had. For those hours he had spent with her, he d been able
to close his mind to what came next, but the next was far worse than he d expected.
He should have stayed away. He d begun to believe that he could completely cut
her out of his life and if he hadn t tested it, maybe he could have.
Now & now he realized he had no choice, never had.
Despite their differences, they might have had the chance to build a life of
contentment if they could ve escaped their people, but they couldn t. If he d just made
himself see that before, maybe it would ve been easier to stay away from her.
He didn t regret it, even so, he decided. It had been everything he d always
believed it would be more incredible than he d expected.
Because she d loved him back.
He was almost sorrier to realize that. As much as he ached already, it wounded
more deeply to know that he d hurt her. He hadn t wanted to do that. He d never meant
to.
He d just & wanted.
Rising abruptly from his pallet, he left his cabin and strode to the edge of the
porch outside, staring out over the forest that he had always loved. He would not come
here again, he told himself. It was too close to Cara and he knew now that he would
never be able to stay away if he was close enough to reach out to her. The temptation
was too much.
Closing his eyes, he pulled his form into that a winged beast and leapt into the air,
spreading his wings. There was some pleasure in it, not the joy he had always felt before
to feel the wind in his face, the air stirring around him, but some enjoyment. Lifting
above the canopy of the trees, he turned his back on the colony of the humans, for the last
time, he told himself.
He d neglected his people long enough. His father wasn t young anymore. He
wanted to know that his son would lead when he was gone and that his grandson would
lead afterwards.
Maybe he should ask his father to choose a woman for him? He had to take a
wife to breed a son and he didn t particularly care who it was.
* * * *
Days passed before Cara emerged from her grief enough to feel like facing what
had happened between her and Nouri. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
them!
Cara supposed she could understand that. It seemed to her that she hadn t
changed all that much in the intervening years, but she supposed, wryly, that that might
only mean she really hadn t matured much. Did they ever say why they wanted me?
She could see by the way her mother was twitching that she didn t really want to
answer that. The prince suggested it. Their council was considering allying themselves
with us by marriage. He said he would be agreeable if it was you.
He called me by name?
Cara of the beautiful red hair, she said a little dryly. It was pretty hard to
pretend we didn t know who they were talking about.
So & he d seen me?
Her mother shrugged. I suppose. I can t think of any other way he would ve
known about the hair. She frowned. Actually, I hadn t really thought about it before,
but he knew your name. Maybe it was just that he asked for the girl with the red hair and
the council told him your name? She fixed her daughter with a firm look. You didn t
meet him?
I d never met any of them.
Dismissing it, her mother rose. That was all a long time ago. I don t know why
you d even bring it up.
You should ve told me, Cara said. Even if I was too young to make that kind
CHAMELEON Angelique Anjou 38
of decision myself, you should ve told me.
Her mother looked angry. Well! Now you know! Although I d still like to
know what busybody decided to tell you!
Cara smiled wanly. Which is exactly why I m not telling.
She stopped her mother again when she reached the door. If I had married into
the Urza tribe, how would you have felt about it?
Horrified! her mother said emphatically. Don t tell me you ve seen one and
developed some fanciful idea of romance? They re savages! Believe me. I don t care
what they look like or how handsome they might seem to be, they re savages!
Anger surged through Cara. You have absolutely no basis for that assumption,
mother! They have never behaved like savages toward any of the colonists. We ve been
at peace with them since we came!
Her mother looked at her hard. Primitives, she said. You re right. I shouldn t
have called them savages, but they are primitives by our standards. You ve hated the
colony ever since we came because we left so much behind and, believe me, as primitive
as the colony is by Earth standards, it s still light years ahead of the natives!
Cara shook her head at her mother. I hated leaving my friends and everything I
knew, that I was comfortable with. It was never about things, mother.
CHAMELEON Angelique Anjou 39
Chapter Six
Nouri wondered if he d realized just how miserable it would make him to leave
Cara after he d made love to her if he would ve made the same decision. He didn t
know, but he was fairly certain that it hadn t actually been a decision any of the time. He
didn t think he could ve stopped if the world had collapsed around him.
Of course, in a sense it had. For those hours he had spent with her, he d been able
to close his mind to what came next, but the next was far worse than he d expected.
He should have stayed away. He d begun to believe that he could completely cut
her out of his life and if he hadn t tested it, maybe he could have.
Now & now he realized he had no choice, never had.
Despite their differences, they might have had the chance to build a life of
contentment if they could ve escaped their people, but they couldn t. If he d just made
himself see that before, maybe it would ve been easier to stay away from her.
He didn t regret it, even so, he decided. It had been everything he d always
believed it would be more incredible than he d expected.
Because she d loved him back.
He was almost sorrier to realize that. As much as he ached already, it wounded
more deeply to know that he d hurt her. He hadn t wanted to do that. He d never meant
to.
He d just & wanted.
Rising abruptly from his pallet, he left his cabin and strode to the edge of the
porch outside, staring out over the forest that he had always loved. He would not come
here again, he told himself. It was too close to Cara and he knew now that he would
never be able to stay away if he was close enough to reach out to her. The temptation
was too much.
Closing his eyes, he pulled his form into that a winged beast and leapt into the air,
spreading his wings. There was some pleasure in it, not the joy he had always felt before
to feel the wind in his face, the air stirring around him, but some enjoyment. Lifting
above the canopy of the trees, he turned his back on the colony of the humans, for the last
time, he told himself.
He d neglected his people long enough. His father wasn t young anymore. He
wanted to know that his son would lead when he was gone and that his grandson would
lead afterwards.
Maybe he should ask his father to choose a woman for him? He had to take a
wife to breed a son and he didn t particularly care who it was.
* * * *
Days passed before Cara emerged from her grief enough to feel like facing what
had happened between her and Nouri. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]